Please help keep our dream alive.

My name is Marie I am 62, my daughter Dawn is 43.

I have terminal ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2011. Prognosis was 7 months.

Being determined and feeling I had to much to live for I was not accepting it.

With a husband, daughter, grandson Lucas and another on the way to build memories with.

Austin was born the same day I had debaulking surgery half way through my first chemotherapy which I responded well to enabling surgery to take place.

It’s been a long road more like a roller coaster. Repeating Chemo twice more.

We have exhausted all options for treatment including participating in a drug trial until February 2021 when side effects became intolerable. Doctors recommending they were no longer benefiting me.

Dawn suffered a ruptured appendix in 2016 . Almost losing her life.

Since there have been more complication including gastroparesis and osteoporosis.

A broken pelvis late 2020. Dawn is type 1 diabetic.

Lockdowns have been hard. Caring for the children with Dawn in hospital for almost 9 months during 2020 has been stressful for everyone.

In August I developed a frozen left shoulder then this week I found out I am facing a new secondary cancer Squamous Carcinoma.

I am waiting on surgery to remove a lesion from the top of my right hand hoping it has been caught early.

Over the years I’ve shed many tears for family and myself trying to stay positive.

We have a small place that we have been using for weekend breaks and holidays.

Part of the dream was to retire there. This is no longer possible it is about building memories now.

It is challenging to do maintenance keep up with the running costs along with medical treatments.

I have memories from my childhood and would like that for Lucas and Austin.

For the good times to outweigh the sad.

We are hoping with help to achieve the dream a little longer.

In anticipation thank you for reading my story

Marie Smith