Keep Joanne Alive Please

It was immensely important to me that before I sucked it up and asked for help I knew that what I was embarking on would work. I didn't want the situation of people giving me money for a drug that didn't work as I would feel the need to give the money back - that's how I walk the planet. Two months of Ibrance and taadaa, yay, my scan results last week show the cancer shrinking for the first time EVER and I sourced it at best budget price.

I have been defying death since mid 2015 when Stage 4 breast cancer kicked in. After a double mastectomy in Dec 2010, I carried on teaching and generally trying to be Wonder Woman, then whammo. Since 2015 I have had all the chemos on offer through the Public Health system. As each one failed the cancer spread somewhere else. You have to be strong to keep holding it together, especially when you know the list is running out! So no more chemo now, but by chance I had seen a documentary about Ibrance (palbociclib): $7000 dollars a month plus an injection at $1130 per month. However, I met a woman who is a member of the Metavivors group and found out if I flew to Malaysia, the same drug is $2800 per month plus injection!

Im sure he won't mind my saying, but my darling husband is 79 years very soon. We are living on one and a half pensions. I have taken out a personal loan so we could do the flight to get the drug - that nearly popped me. Fortunately as of this year they will now mail each batch to me with a $400 courier fee

I have thought about this a lot. If people were kind enough to make a donation once every three months my life keeps ripping along. I have made sure I have used my life to help others at every possible opportunity and I still have a lot of things that need to be done.

If my cause doesn't resonate with you, please keep searching for someone whose story does. We need to share the kindness, people.