After eight years spent waiting for a liver transplant, Denene Bird is facing another battle.
The 54-year-old Orillia woman was diagnosed with cancer on Sept. 17. Doctors are still trying to nail down a specific diagnosis.
Her right tonsil was removed, but a mass on the side of her neck could not be taken out, so she will be starting her chemotherapy in a week or two.
It will be an intensive seven weeks of treatment — five days a week — at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. Her stay at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Lodge will cost $200 per week, and that accommodation is not covered by OHIP. On top of that are the costs of transportation, parking and meals.
Bird, who was a full-time custodian at Harriett Todd Public School, has been off work since she was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver disease eight years ago. Her only income is the $800 a month she gets from her Canada Pension Plan.
Crunching the numbers, Bird’s daughter, Carlene Maclean, convinced her mom to reach out for assistance.
“My mom is one of the strongest, most independent women I know,” Maclean said. “She was like, ‘I don’t want people’s money,’ but we have to start to accept some help.”
So, Maclean started a GoFundMe page with a $3,000 goal.
It’s been a rough go for the family, starting with the liver disease diagnosis.
“We were shocked to find out it was that bad, but we all pulled together as a family to support her the best we could,” Maclean said.
She said her mom is handling the cancer diagnosis “pretty well.”
“I think that comes back to her having been battling for her life for a while,” she added. “People keep telling her that she needs to get angry at the cancer to fight it, so she’s at that point.”
She has a lot to live for, Maclean said, including her seven-year-old grandson, who “loves her to pieces.”
“She’s a beautiful person inside and out. She deserves the world,” Maclean said. “I would take her place if I could.”
The GoFundMe page for Bird can be found here.
