Please Help Deirdre!

Help Deirdre!

Hi all,

This fundraiser is to help my brave sister Deirdre O'Connor with the costs of her upcoming Stem Cell Transplant.

In August 2013 Deirdre gave birth to my beautiful niece Harlow. 18 days later her entire world changed again forever with one word. Cancer. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which generally responds well to treatment. This past year, Deirdre has endured 6 months of chemotherapy, over 20 rounds of radiation, lost all of her hair, encountered numerous infections due to a weakened immune system, and had a very scary hospitalization in the ICU last winter.

Through all of this Deirdre has stayed positive and strong, often worrying about helping others that are in need before herself. For example, Deirdre & her team recently raised over $4600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fund cancer research.

In October Deirdre went to her Oncologist to get the results of a Pet Scan that would show if the cancer had gone into remission following all of the above treatments that she had done. To our disappointment and shock, unfortunately the cancer has declared itself to be more aggressive then we all had hoped and will require a more aggressive treatment as a result.

Deirdre has begun different, more aggressive chemotherapy since November while her medical team in Abbotsford and Vancouver are making the arrangements for a stem cell transplant that will take place at VGH approx near the end of January. Deirdre will be in the hospital for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks, possibly longer depending on complications and on how she reacts to the treatment. One great relief is that they are able to harvest her own stem cells for the transplant, which greatly reduces some of the risks of the procedure.  The recovery after leaving the hospital can range anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.  Her immune system will basically be reset to that of a newborn baby - she will even have to get all the same infant vaccinations as Harlow!  

My parents will be temporarily moving from Chilliwack to Vancouver so they are nearby to support Deirdre and so that Harlow can be close to her mom. This means renting a furnished accommodation, parking costs, childcare, all in addition to the costs of her medical treatment and prescriptions. We are lucky to live in Canada, and have the treatment itself covered, but this past year has really given us an eye-opening first hand look at the additional costs of being sick. One example, while chemo is covered, the anti-nausea drugs & steroids she must take to avoid being violently ill are not. Deirdre's extended medical plan through work is quite limited & as a result this year she was maxed out 3 months into the year for prescription costs.

I am hoping that through this donation page and the upcoming fundraiser Pub Night we will be able to raise enough money to alleviate financial stress from Deirdre and my family. I want the focus to be on her getting better and getting the results that we are all praying for when she is done with the stem cell transplant. Kicking Cancers Ass!!!

Thank you all for your support as we all continue to pray and fight for Deirdre.

Click Here to Donate!