AN Arcadia Vale woman is in a desperate race against the clock to raise $100,000 to pay for lifesaving brain surgery by Dr Charlie Teo.
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Sarah Holden, 35, was diagnosed in January with a rare pineal cystic tumour.
The tumour, about 1cm in diameter, is already causing her a range of painful and debilitating symptoms.
If left untreated, the tumour is likely to kill her.
What scares Ms Holden most is the prospect of her four daughters – aged 4 to 15 – not having their mum around to care for them.
“I get these flare-ups,” Ms Holden said.
“It’s like a bomb explosion inside my head. I lose my vision. My heart beats in my ear, and I can’t hear other things properly,” she said.
Headaches are her constant companion. Her new normal.
Then there are the recurring blackouts, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, stroke-like symptoms, and short-term memory loss.
“Midway through last year I started to get really sick,” she said.
“I couldn’t get out of bed, and I had migraine-like symptoms. I spent 15 days in unbelievable pain,” she said.
Her GP ordered an MRI, and it detected the pineal cystic tumour.
“The tumour is right down in the centre of my brain,” she said.
“’Normal’ neurosurgeons don’t touch them. They say these sorts of tumours are inoperable.
“But I did my own research, and I went to see Dr Teo in May.”
Dr Teo is a leading Australian neurosurgeon, and one of only a few neurosurgeons in the world who is willing, and able, to operate on such tumours.
“Dr Teo not only reviewed my medical file but also agreed to perform the surgery required to remove the tumour,” Ms Holden said.
“He told me he’s done 100 of these surgeries, and he believes I meet 100 per cent of the criteria he looks for.”
But in order to have the surgery, which would be performed at Prince of Wales Private Hospital, in Sydney, she must first come up with $100,000.
“I was offered a place at the hospital for the surgery on August 20, but I had to turn that down [because she didn’t have the money]. They’ve told me there’s a couple of spots available in September.”
Ms Holden said she rents her house and formerly worked as an assistant manager at a supermarket, and as a receptionist, but had been unable to work since she became sick.
She now relies on government assistance, and the generosity of friends, to help pay the bills, including her medical expenses.
Ms Holden’s family are hosting a fundraising night for her in her native Brisbane, on August 11. She has also started a GoFundMe page.
“If you can help me, please know that any amount, large or small will make a difference,” she said.
Email sarahjholden83@gmail.com for details.
