A little bit of context

9 years ago Aaron, at the age of 23, had a seizure the day before his first born child was due. A whirlwind of events followed. An immediate 3 hour trip to Melbourne to undergo a craniotomy to remove an unknown glioma (tumour) which was roughly the size of a blood plum from behind his right eye.

While tests were being run to determine the type of tumour Aaron and his partner Peta travelled 3 hours home to Gippsland to have their baby girl. After 3 days of induced labour, an emergency c-section was performed.

Welcome to the world Montana!

They had just 4 precious days as a family before Aaron was taken back to Melbourne. A 2nd craniotomy was performed to remove the remaining Stage 3 Mixed Oligoastrosytoma. Cancer. Unfortunately the tumour was attached to a major blood vessel which meant 6 weeks of instensive radiation therapy with hopes of nailing those last few cancer cells. The survival rates of Brain Tumours is just 25% at the 5 year mark.

Aaron was one Lucky Man!

But now there’s a problem

9 Years on, Aaron’s luck has run out . After this year’s MRI a new tumour has been discovered. It is roughly the size of a grape situated within the previous tumour cavity. At this stage they don’t know the type or grade of this tumour but it is likely to be the same cancer and very likely to be much more aggressive. Aaron will be undergoing another craniotomy in a few short weeks and will most probably need to undertake another round of Radiation or Chemotherapy or both. What this means is Aaron won't be able to work for 3-6 months at least.

Aaron is a father to 4 beautiful children. Montana 9yo, Lachlan 7yo, Darcy 3yo and Archer 1yo. When Aaron hit the 5 year mark they celebrated and felt comfortable having more children but now their hearts are sinking. Aaron is a kind and generous bloke who gets along with everyone he meets. His children adore him, his wife mostly loves but often just tolerates him and life was finally going forward. F*ck Cancer.

So here’s what we’re doing about it

Their amazing inner circle is helping with the kids and keeping them in an as normal routine as possible. They have put the operation back a couple of weeks and are going to work their arses off to bank as much as they can.

They have a months worth of finances in savings and Peta (wifey) is going to keep working as much as she can in her casual jobs. They have investigated Centrelink which is going to take time to come through and they have hit up the superannuation funds but they are unable to help. Aaron is currently employed on a permenant casual basis which mean he’s not entitled to any sick leave or annual leave.

So this is where they fall short and also why this time around we are trying out the fundraising route for them.

You can join us

Many of us want to help and a wonderful way to do this is by donating towards these costs. Donations will:

Assist with daily living expenses for the family as Aaron will be unable to work. Peta will only able to work casually to be able to care for Aaron while he is incapacitated. (Aaron's loss of income approx. $26000 over 6 months)
Travel expenses for Aaron and his carers to and from appointments as well as his posible Chemo/Radiation treatments. ($1000 approx.)
Medication (non-prescription medication to off-set side effects from chemo/radiation approx. $350) complementary therapies (physio, neurology, palliative and epileptology approx. $2,000).
Tattslotto ticket (approx $20) (joke!)

With your help they can keep some sense of normal in their children’s lives and we can remove that extra stress of not knowing if they'll be able to cover their bills next week.

They are always trying to put as much kindness out into the world as they can. Aaron is, as I type this, fixing his next doors neighbours car and wanting to spend his savings on a new starter motor for them to help out.

Any donations, big or small, will help to lift the financial burden from Aaron and Peta, so they can focus on Aaron’s recovery. They will be spent thoughtfully and on what is important to get them through this very trying time. Donations also offer a way for all whose lives are enriched by Aaron's fun loving personality and caring attitude to show their love, support and care in return.

Hugs are also accepted currency.

This was created by Aaron's family and friends.

(If you'd like to get in contact with us please go to our facbook page https://www.facebook.com/Round2notout )

And here’s some extra information for you

For more information on brain tumours please go to curebraincancer.org.au

They are doing some wonderful things here in Australia to increase survival rates as well as supplying the most updated and easy to understand information about brain cancer.

We would also like to to point people in the direction of

lifeline.org.au or ph 13 11 14

beyondblue.org.au or ph 1300 22 4636 if you need to talk.

Brain cancer doesn’t only affect the primary patient but their family and friends. It’s a traumatic experience and can leave a lasting impression or lead to depression. It’s important to Aaron and Peta for you to know they are doing ok and they want to make sure you’re doing ok too.

For info about the cost of cancer for patients and their family see: https://cancerforum.org.au/forum/2017/july/impact-of-financial-costs-of-cancer-on-patients-the-australian-experience/

The article states: "The financial burden of cancer does not rest on patients alone, with the overall cost to the household estimated to be $47,200."

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