Dear friends, family, and compassionate supporters, We come together today to rally around Michelle Caulfield and her family, after just undergoing a major surgery removing half of her bowel. Michelle's journey began after a routine colonoscopy in late November 2024 revealing a very small amount of malignant cells within over 75 polyps on her bowel wall, this condition is known as Hereditary Polyposis Syndrome. Nothing to panic about according to her bowel specialist who removed the nasty cells with a snare and sent them away to the Familial Cancer Centre for genetic testing (this process can take up to 18 weeks for returned results), but to be able to make an informed decision on what process Michelle wanted to take for surgery, she opted to wait for the results which would then also confirm direction for her and her sister to take in regards to protecting their children and have regular colonoscopies for early detection. As Michelle and her family face many life-altering changes, resilience shines through, inspiring us all to offer our unwavering support during this trying time for her and her family. Michelle's journey began in October 2024 when she experienced severe abdominal pain and bleeding. She was then referred to a surgical team at Monash Hospital. In February 2024, the new Surgical Team at Monash carried out extensive testing with a CT, MRI and another colonoscopy that declared that the polyps had increased to over 150 polyps. Her surgeon and his team discussed her case and advised that Michelle would require a full bowel removal and replacement with a colostomy bag. This news was life-shattering to Michelle and her extended family and friends. Michelle then raised options with her surgeon regarding the option of partial bowel removal, known as a Laparoscopic Bowel Resection. She was advised that the surgical team's preferred option was full removal, but Michelle was determined to wait to see if her polyposis syndrome was hereditary before making her decision, as both ends on either side of her cluster of polyps were entirely clear. While the specialists were deciding what surgery would be required and awaiting genetic testing results, they'd decided to put Michelle on a pre-surgery cancer trial fortnightly to reduce the cells forming further within the cluster creating a tumor. After this treatment, Michelle was sent for another Colonoscopy scan to determine the required surgical treatment and to see if there was a decrease in cancer cells and polyps. The results showed that the trial was unsuccessful, and the cluster had gone from 30cm of bowel to 50cm, almost doubled in size in 3 months. Genetic Testing results then came back inconclusive as they did not have enough samples to test, so from then, Michelle requested partial removal only. Finally, the surgery date was scheduled at Monash on June 28th. While working full-time and being an amazing mother, wife, sister, and friend. Michelle is known as “everyone's favorite person” with an absolute heart of Gold. With your generous donation, we can support Michelle, Dennis, Immy and Lachlan on her road back to recovery as from July 26 Michelle has been unable to work due to not having medical clearance from her surgeon and GP due to increased relentless pain and bleeding. Due to the loss of blood, Michelle's blood pressure had significantly dropped to dangerous levels, leaving her a risk of heart failure in theatre, Michelle's July 28 surgery was cancelled. Staying at home was the only option to look after her health and get her blood pressure back up for her next scheduled surgery date on July 16. Since a successful bowel resection surgery was completed, the whole affected area was able to be returned to the Familial Cancer Centre for full genetic testing. Michelle has many lows with relentless pain shadowing an internal infection, to which on Aug 4 Michelle had to return to the theatre to open up and drain the infection out, and put in a suction dressing and machine to maintain a clean wound. She is now required to carry this on her for a few weeks, and when discharged, she will travel back to Monash Hospital twice a week to have the dressing and suction machine changed and cleaned. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to alleviate the financial burden of day-to-day living. We all understand that times are hard, and with only one wage coming in, times are very tough. These funds will enable Michelle and Dennis to focus solely on her health and well-being without the added stress of medical bills and financial constraints. Every donation, no matter the size, plays a significant role in supporting Michelle and her beautiful family. Additionally, your support extends beyond financial assistance; it serves as a beacon of hope, reminding Michelle that she is not alone in this fight. Let us stand united, demonstrating the power of compassion and love. Share this fundraiser with your networks, spread the word, and let us create a community of support so strong that Michelle feels the collective strength of each and every one of us standing behind her. With love and hope. Kind Regards Tanya Graham
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