Megan Rundback and her family have always been there for everyone else. But now Megan has a life-threatening illness and needs your help to get to Russia for treatment that can save her life.
Megan, her husband Jonas, and their 3 daughters Tea (17), Sofia (12) and Meja (10) recently moved to the Illawarra from Sydney. They wanted a simpler upbringing for their children and the opportunity to pursue more satisfying work that helped others. Jonas now works as a carer in a Home for people with severe disabilities. Megan took redundancy nearly a year ago (while on leave after falling and badly breaking her wrist). She has now had to endure four separate wrist surgeries, the last being a full wrist fusion.
Megan has had more than her fair share of health battles. She has had Multiple Sclerosis since the age of 18 and was first diagnosed at 23. She has had many episodes during the past 20 years. Sometimes an arm doesn't work, sometimes her legs, some days she's just too tired and weak to get up. Sometimes it's her vision that goes. That's the problem with MS - Megan never knows when an episode will happen or what will happen...and over time it gets worse.
It makes it very difficult for Megan to care for her family when any day she could wake up and find she can't move. Some days she can't walk, or even stand for long enough to cook dinner or be there for her girls' activities. Her husband works shift work as a carer and picks up any shifts he can - because right now he's the only earner.
This is Megan's reality. She deals with it with an amazing positive attitude and adjusts her life to make the best of it she can. So much so that up until recently many people around her had no idea she even had MS.
But now the odds are stacked against Megan and she needs your help.
Megan has had severe complications from treatment options available in Australia. She has also contracted a virus called John Cunningham Virus (JCV) which activates when your immune system is suppressed (like in MS treatment). Once JCV levels are high, at any time it could turn into Progressive Multifocal Leaukoencephalopathy (PML). PML destroys the white matter in the brain and is universally fatal in a short time. Megan's JCV levels are already so high that doctors have stopped testing them.
Due to the JCV and medication side effects (far too much suppression of the immune system) Megan cannot have further immune suppression treatments. This means there are no treatment options to slow her MS.
Many countries offer Haematopoeitic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) for MS, but Australia does not - yet. HSCT is in trial phase in Australia, but unfortunately Megan does not qualify for the trials and it won't be available here soon enough to save her life.
So...Russia offers self-funded HSCT and is a world-leader in this treatment.
There's a catch - its USD$45,000. Too much for this family on their own.
We, her friends and community, are helping to fundraise and we have raised enough already for her flights - but we need help.
If this was you or your family - you would do anything to survive and be there to watch them grow up. Megan needs your help.
Every dollar is one this family does not need to find. Even if you can only spare 5 or 10 dollars, please help save this Mum so she can be around for her girls. And share this with your friends so they can help too...
For more information on Megan's journey you can visit http://www.hopelovelive.com.au
Good luck Megan, our thoughts are with you.