It was touch-and-go for Jim after his bone marrow transplant. There was a big chance he wouldn’t make it through.
His mouth and throat were bleeding, but he had to swallow 30 pills a day to stay alive.
He was more than 100km from home, and COVID was about to make his cancer treatment even harder.
What happens when you need to move far away to get urgent cancer treatment? Where does your family stay to be near you?
And where do you stay, when you’re between treatments but need to isolate?
Often, treatment is so urgent that it begins within days of diagnosis, leaving families scrambling to arrange temporary housing. The stress is crushing.
Parents and partners often must take extended leave from work or even abandon their jobs to be close during treatment and recovery.
I hear of other families who must sell their home and assets to move nearby.
Because of kind people like you, Jim’s wife Jill was able to stay right around the corner from hospital in the Fight Cancer Foundation Accommodation Centre.
It was safe and hygienic – which was vital because of Jim’s suppressed immunity – and as an added bonus, it had its own kitchen.
That kitchen made all the difference. It meant Jill could whip up her nutritious Mango Smoothies for Jim, so he had some substance to swallow his 30+ pills.
It worked. With the nutritious smoothie, Jim was able to handle his rigorous medication regime – and actually eat something for the first time in weeks. It felt like a small victory.
Jill says that being able to make the smoothies and pop in every day to see Jim, while staying germ-free, made a huge difference to his recovery.
“I do genuinely think that having Fight Cancer Foundation accommodation helped Jim recover.
“I believe he got better because we had that opportunity to stay there. And that's a big statement to make, but I seriously believe it to be true.”
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As Jim’s treatment progressed, Jill and her family were able to celebrate more small victories.
Tiny wins that would only mean something to people who have fought cancer. Like the time when Jim’s neutrophils (his immunity indicators) finally got above zero to 0.1.
Or like the first dinner they had as a family out of hospital. They got a Thai takeaway. It didn’t matter that Jim could only cope with a few bites. It felt like victory.
other families like Jill’s are desperately for accommodation close to cancer treatment. Your gift will help give them somewhere safe to stay at no out-of-pocket expense. Give generously today!
