At just 22 years old, Sarah Pawley was diagnosed with Stage 4 HER2-positive breast cancer in March this year. She says Sleapy’s Foundation has not only helped her cover essential medical and living costs but has also provided invaluable emotional support.
“I hope that there will be a cure in my lifetime, but right now, I just need to be able to pay for everyday things like bills, groceries and nappies for my two-year-old daughter,” says Sarah.
Before her diagnosis, Sarah was working as a supervisor at Lowlands Bowling Club, and her partner was a second-year electrical apprentice. Money was already tight, but when cancer treatment began, the financial strain became overwhelming.
“Medication is expensive. I had an implant called Zoladex that put me into medically induced menopause to try to protect my ovaries, and I also need ongoing pain relief, among other things,” Sarah explains.
Since her diagnosis, Sarah has completed thirteen weeks of chemotherapy, cut short by eleven weeks due to severe neuropathy. She also has targeted therapy every three weeks (Herceptin and Perjeta) and bone strengthener every six weeks (Zometa). She will undertake this regime for the foreseeable future. As well as a double (bilateral) mastectomy with lymph node clearance on the left side, she is now preparing to undergo fifteen sessions of radiation targeting her chest wall, spine, and underarm lymph nodes.
Sarah still has cancer in her L2 vertebrae and, because of its location on her spine, surgery isn’t an option. Radiation is the next best treatment to try to control the disease.
“Being diagnosed with cancer takes such a huge financial and emotional toll — not just on you, but on your whole family,” Sarah says.
“Robynn and Peter from Sleapy’s just get it — they know what I need because they’ve lived it too. I’ll never forget having coffee with them — Peter was chasing my daughter around, making her laugh. They haven’t just supported me financially; they’ve given me strength, hope, and a sense of community.”
While many organisations focus on raising money to find a cure, Sarah says Sleapy’s Foundation is unique because it focuses on helping people live through treatment.
“As soon as I’m well enough, I want to give back to Sleapy’s the way they’ve supported me,” says Sarah.
“Stage 4 cancer is something I’ll be managing for the rest of my life. Of course we all want a cure but, until that happens, people like me need help with the practical, everyday things, especially when we’re too sick to work.”