A GoFundMe page has been set up for an Irishwoman who went to the doctor with headaches while holidaying in Australia only to be diagnosed with cancer.
Nicola, who overcame cancer in the past, went to visit her sister Down Under and ended up unable to travel back until she receives treatment for a tumour in her neck as well as a blood clot.
She explained that “due to the seriousness of the tumor and its aggressiveness, I have to have surgery in Australia as a priority.”
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Both the clot and tumour were thought to be caused by cancer she had in the past and therefore needed to be treated as a matter of urgency before she could fly home.
Nicola’s parents flew out to Australia to be with their daughter at this scary time, and will likely have to stay there for a few weeks until she is safe to travel.
The young woman said, “the operation is very serious, they have told me I would have difficulty talking and swallowing again, as well as other high risks due to the area it's in so I am praying all will go well.”
In an update on the page, Jennifer Ryan, a beneficiary of the account, posted: “This week she is officially halfway through chemotherapy and has completed two and a half weeks of radiation, today she had surgery to put in a Peg tube in her tummy to feed her, we are praying it works and then she can have the nasogastric tube removed.
“The sickness and vomiting continue and we expect this due to the treatment, Nic understandably has good days and bad days but we are just so proud of her! It's so easy to complain in these situations but we won't do that, this is a bump in Nicola's road and she will and is continuing to work hard to get over it.
“Whilst this is Nicola's journey there is no doubt of the effect it has on all her loved ones, for those of you in Ireland, the UK, America and here in Australia know we are grateful for the love it gives us strength and keeps us positive, we are all in this together with Nic, reach out!!
“Some days we have the strength and are able to reply and other days that simple task is like climbing Everest to us but we get your message and they make us feel loved and smile. Thank you all xxx”
If you would like to donate to help Nicola and her family through this tough time, you can do so by clicking here.
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