Kerry's four time cancer survival dream.

Hello everyone, I am here today to ask for your support to help me adapt to my new life with a laryngectomy.

Earlier this year I was told I had stage four cancer of the voicebox.

I then went on to have 10 hours of surgery involving a neck dissection and placement of a Prothesis. (a manually operated talking valve) .

I am healing well . The unavoidable removal of my thyroid and other glands requires me to be on life long medication to replace calcium magnesium and other minerals. My calcium levels are monitored with weekly blood tests to ensure they don't go to high or drop to low...this is a level that is effected largely by food intake and energy levels thus they can fluctuate a lot. Too high or too lower levels, put a strain on my heart and I live with the very real risk of heart failure due to the levels changing quickly ...I am slowly learning to read some of my body symptoms re the levels changing ...like nausea, headache, anxiety, exhaustion, inability to sleep, sleeping to much exhaustion and low mood.

I am one of the lucky ones who can talk with a tracheostomy prostheses tho it requires a lot of effort and depletes my enegy levels quickly to have long conversations. Talking via a telephone is nearly impossible as people can not understand me.

The valve needs continual cleaning to stay mucus free and operate well. I have difficulty swallowing certain foods and some days are worse than others...but can eat and drink ok most days.

I have to be vigilant with my diet to maintain good energy levels ...I walk each day to help produce positivite endorphins.

I am needing your help to return to my independent lifestyle living on the road in my housebus, motor home.

I have for a few years lived in a wee Isuzu bus which I brought as an empty bus and slowly turned it into my self contained home on wheels.

I lived a simple life using camping ground bathrooms to shower n kitchens to cook . My bus had a wee gas cooker to boil the Billy on and a comfy wee bed and that was all I needed ...life was good. I was independent.

My dream was to travel with the gypsies and make a living from the wares I handcrafted. I trialed this for a little while, and loved it but sadly I became too sick and had to give up on this dream temporarily.

My health needs are now calling for a few more home comforts fixtures and fittings , ones that my wee bus does not provide and are too costly to pay trades people to have installed.

As a neck breather , I need a sterile bathroom area to clean my trachy and a hand held shower head to avoid water going into my lungs.

I need power to nebulise n suction my trachy as often as needed , this is to keep it moist and clear of mucus plugs that build up and can potentially block my airway and cause asphyxiation.

I need fresh air flow , warmth and good heating in the winter a firebox is best.

I need a functioning kitchen to cook and eat healthy food and power for fridge . The only way I can swallow my tablets that don't come in a dissolvable form is with yogurt which needs to be kept chilled. I can not swallow large mouthfuls of food ...or swallow pills with liquids .

Another part of my healing process critical for my emotion, mental and spiritual wellbeing is to have my independence and live life on the road being as close to nature for as long as possible to maintain a sense of mindfulness and gratitude. My love of nature has sustained my wellbeing for many years and I believed helped me to survive thus far.

My cancer prognosis today , I am having a biopsy on my lung in 2 weeks to check for lung cancer ... i am currently clear but have a high possibility of it returning and my life expectancy in 5 years is 40 to 60 % The time to live is now ....

My family history with cancer has been and is very prevalent in my family.

Both my daughters and myself have been tested positive for the Bracca 2 gene.

My twin sister died after a long battle with breast cancer leaving behind her wee son of only two years of age. This was a devastating time for our family but also a time that i researched cancer and as a result of the knowledge I gained, detected the early signs of my own breast cancer, which was treated with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. My elder sister and Mother also survived breast cancer however an uncle did not. My elder brother died from bowel cancer ...

I have lived with the side effects of cancer treatment since I was 28 when I had a radical hysterectomy also referred to as a Weirtimes operation, involving ( removal of ovaries, womb, cervix and top of vagina) ) for cervical cancer , 44 hours of internal radiation and 6 weeks of external radiation. Unfortunately through an accidental overdose of radiation my bowel and left utinery track were scarred and as a result of this at 29yrs old i was given a life saving permanent colostomy bag.

Cancer has taught me patience and acceptance and given me the grace to be humble and ask for help...

I have a loving family , a son and two daughters and six beautiful grandkids, whom I want to continue to be well for and watch grow up.

Your support means the world to them also ...to see their mum and nana, continue to live her dream and keep on getting well.

Please help me to raise the funds to find a home on wheels with the necessities I have talked about so i can continue to live my dream and be independent .

In doing so, it is also my belief and wish, that other people facing cancer may too believe in their dreams and have faith, and KNOW that CANCER doesn't DEFINE us ...it TEACHS us what we are truly made of...and how loving humanity can be ....

Much love and light Kerry