A community fundraiser at Toronto Workers Club to help an Arcadia Vale mother of four pay for life-saving brain surgery has exceeded expectations by raising $25,000.
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It means that Sarah Holden has achieved the $100,000 required to pay for the surgery by Dr Charlie Teo in Sydney next month.
Dr Teo has agreed to operate to remove a rare pineal cystic tumour from Ms Holden’s brain.
The tumour is causing Ms Holden a range of debilitating health problems and, if left untreated, could kill her.
Ms Holden said her surgery was scheduled for October 3, and she would arrive at Prince of Wales Private Hospital on October 2 for an MRI at 10am which would inform Dr Teo’s procedure.
“I rang Dr Teo’s office today to tell his personal assistant that I did it. I’ve raised the money!” an emotional Ms Holden told the Lakes Mail on Monday.
Ms Holden said she went to Saturday night’s $50-a-head fundraiser needing $18,000 to reach her $100,000 target.
“We raised a total of $15,000 after the raffles and auctions, then the club’s chief executive officer Mark Singleton and the club board announced that they’d donate $5,000 to cover the rest, and my accommodation,” Ms Holden said.
But the surprises weren’t over.
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Cancer patient campaigner Peter Sleap and his team from the Sleapy’s Day charity, who had supported Ms Holden by filling two tables at the function, then announced that they were donating $5,000 – bringing their total contribution to her fundraising appeal to $9,000.
Ms Holden said the team from Toronto Workers Club took her into a quiet room on Saturday to reveal the results privately, before making the public announcement.
“I went into a back room of the club before the results were announced and I just cried,” she said. “It was overwhelming...”
Ms Holden said she was stunned to have 194 people attend the function.
And she cannot put into words the gratitude she has for people who have helped her to achieve the goal.
Ms Holden was also recently the guest of honour at a fundraising night, in her native Brisbane, which raised $27,000.
Ms Holden said the emotion of Saturday night had taken a toll.
“I was too sick on Sunday to really feel anything,” she said.
It was a different story on Monday, though.
Ms Holden had been given a deadline of Monday to confirm payment for her October 3 surgery.
To be able to make that call, without a day to spare, was cause for a moment’s contemplation.
“My God, I can’t believe how quickly that this has been achieved. It’s all been done in three months,” she said.
“I can’t thank everyone enough. I can’t...
“Now, I just can’t wait for it all to be over.”
Ms Holden said she was most looking forward to “just being the mum I’m meant to be”.
“Right now, I’m bloody useless.”
