4 days ago
Cudgewa kindergarten teacher Collette Carkeek faces cancer battle
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An Upper Murray kinder teacher and mum of two is fighting to stick around and watch her sons grow up after received a double cancer diagnosis.
What started as a sore back turned into the 'toughest fight of her life' when 39-year-old Collette Carkeek received the diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and stage four metastatic colorectal cancer.
Ms Carkeek is fighting the cancers, but faces a long hard road ahead.
Her body responded badly to chemotherapy, with her bone marrow depleting to dangerous levels after just one round of treatment, forcing her to undergo an expensive immunotherapy treatment that was not covered by Medicare.
It will leave the family at least $75,000 out of pocket.
Growing up in the Cudgewa area and working locally in childcare for years, Ms Carkeek is a beloved member of the community.
When she was forced to stop playing netball with the Cudgewa Football Netball Club, where her sons also play footy, the tight-knit Upper Murray community jumped into action to support the family in their time of need.
In just 48 hours, the many people whose lives Ms Carkeek had touched raised almost $45,000 towards her cancer treatment in a GoFundMe set up by her sister Stacey.
'Colette has spent her life caring for others — working in childcare, teaching at kinder, and giving back to her community. Now, it's our turn to care for her,' she said.
Mr Middleton said the support from the community had been 'overwhelming', and the donations would mean Ms Carkeek could receive the treatment she needed to fight off two cancers and keep cheering on her sons at footy for years to come.
