Kasia's fundraising page

Hi there!

This year marks the 8th year my amazing Mum has been battling with the brutal beast that is a Glioblastoma Multiforme. At the young age of 54 my mum had numbness in her fingertips and as someone who works in the medical profession, caring for others, was convinced it wasn't carpal tunnel syndrome and it was worthy of investigation. A year later, after countless visits to the doctors, she had a scan revealing a 4cm growth in her head and an emergency surgery scheduled days later. 

To date, my mum has had 6 brain surgeries, each more brutal than the last, on non-other than panadol as she is intolerant to many pain killers just so she can see my niece grow up and one day, see my walk down the aisle (don't tell her I purposely delay this to keep her around ;p).

The treatment for this disease has not changed in 20 years and it still relies heavily on butchering people to give them a slim shot of survival due to a lack of public awareness, funding and research. This is not okay in 2022. My mum each time has to re-learn to eat, walk, talk and fight for her independence to retain who she is, after this disease has taken so much from her and she does it with a grace and integrity, I only wish I had.

My family moved to Australia with the clothes on their backs so I could be born here for a better life after the fall of communism in Poland. I will walk the 150km to hopefully give my Mum and those after her a better quality of life because I cannot thank my family enough for the life I live.

So if you can spare your cafe coffee money for a week or the bar tab on a Friday night and instead donate to this worthy cause, I will forever be grateful and you will get all the hugs from me (I heard, I give a decent cuddle).

Mark Hughes thank you for supporting my mum and thank you reader for your time and generosity.

XO Kasia Stelmach