Kylie Blackney’s battle against breast cancer is just one of 2400 local reasons to give up booze for a month.
The Norlane mother-of-three joined more than 100 Geelong residents ditching alcohol in July, who by Tuesday morning had raised $11,184 for the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.
“The staff at Andrew Love are simply angels and have been nothing short of amazing,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter how many people are being treated at one time, they know everyone’s names and stories and talk to us all about anything and everything to pass the time quickly.”
Kylie has raised almost $1000 for the centre, which helps her and 2400 Geelong locals diagnosed with cancer each year.
“I wish I could thank the staff a million times over but instead I often take them treats like cake and chocolates,” she said.
Two weeks before last Christmas Kylie received her dreadful diagnosis – an aggressive triple negative invasive carcinoma.
“All I could do was cry and wonder how this five-month-old baby on my lap would cope without her mummy and how do I tell my older babies that I may die,” she said.
“Would my husband cope? It was the worst day of my life.”
But Kylie continues her fight against the disease for her three children Mia, 11, Hunter, 8, and baby Reed.
“I am so blessed to have such an awesome support crew around me that help with school runs, meals and support when we need,” she said.
Kylie will soon finish chemotherapy before surgery and radiation in July.
“It has been such an overwhelming, taxing few months for my family but we are strong and are getting through this one day at a time.”
To support Kylie and patients fighting cancer visit www.dryjuly.com.
