I've raised £5000 to reward my carers during my cancer treatment and allow me to see my mum!
Organised by Ingibjorg Bjornsdottir
Story
A Lone Wolf Gets Cancer
When a Lone Wolf gets breast cancer, she needs to accept help from family and friends, most of whom live in another country!
Please, help me lower the travel costs of those who are going to come over from Iceland, or elsewhere, to Scotland to help look after me during my chemo and radiotherapy.
The money will be put towards their flights and other expenses brought on by their travels.
Asking for help is the hardest thing I do, asking for money is even worse but this one time, I'm asking for donations to reward my loved ones for dropping everything and spending their time and money to care for me during my cancer treatment.
The Full Story:
I'm an Icelandic freelance journalist/events manager, dabbling in stand-up comedy and have lived in Edinburgh for over two years. I think I might be a strong contestant for the "worst Christmas present" competition 2018 as I was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 20th, spending most of Christmas Eve at the hospital having more scans and tests and being told it might have spread. I managed to pop over to Iceland for New Year's to break the news to my family and then went back to Edinburgh to have a lumpectomy on 18 January. Thankfully, the cancer hadn't spread!
Because my tumour was Grade 3 and HER2 positive (fast-growing) however, I also need to have chemo and targeted therapy over the next few months as well as radiotherapy. So, I'm going to be pretty poorly at times in the nearest future and will inevitably need some assistance.
Those who know me well know that I'm very independent and absolutely hate asking for help but I guess this is not the time to be too proud. I live on my own and have already come across some problems following my operation, where a second pair of hands has been useful. Fortunately, I have some wonderful friends here in Edinburgh who have helped me out with daily tasks but soon I will probably be needing more help after each cycle of chemo.
Some family members and friends back in Iceland are ready and able to fly over and stay with me for when I get really ill. And for that, I will be eternally grateful but also hate being a burden so the least I can do is lower their travel costs. I'm self-employed and had already been more or less off work for a few months before my diagnosis - as I had a miscarriage couple of months before - so I simply don't have the funds to pay their flights and transport myself.
Therefore, I'm asking for your help...to help me compensate the people who are willing to drop everything and spend time and money to care for me in my hour of need. I won't relax unless I can put some money towards the expenses brought on them by me.
Also, one of the worst things about the timing of my illness is that my 75 year old mum had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I had planned on staying with her a lot this winter but am now being robbed of precious time with her as I won't be able to travel to Iceland till July/August. So, if the collection is successful, I'd also like to use some of the money to fly her over for a visit at some point during my treatment. Some family members would have to come along too and as I live in a small one bedroom flat, they'd have to stay in a hotel or a holiday apartment. It would be so great if I could manage to have my mum over for a week or so and treat her to a wee holiday in Edinburgh!
I have no idea how I'll ever be able to reward those who will make donations, but I promise, I'll make a note of each and every one and think of something, I have months to think about that in between medical stuff!!! xx
