Friends continue fundraising as Stenhousemuir mum given devastating news

A Stenhousemuir mum who is battling cancer for a second time has been told she has just 12 weeks to live.

Jolene Patrick (31) was initially diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in September 2017 and underwent 18 weeks of chemotherapy and a
mastectomy.

She was given the all clear, but last year, when her daughter was just weeks old, she was told the cancer had returned and was in her chest, pelvis, lymph nodes, liver and bones.

Now the cancer has spread further and she has been advised there are no more treatments available to her.

Friends are continuing to rally round Jolene, her husband Alan and daughter Emmeline, who turns one later this month.

A JustGiving page which had been set up last year by Jolene’s friend Julie McGregor is continuing to raise money for the family.

However, fundraising has slowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic as a number of planned events have had to be cancelled.

Julie said: “Jolene has been through three rounds of different chemotherapy treatments that haven’t worked.

“It’s spread to most parts of her body and brain now.

“Two weeks ago she was told there was nothing else that they could do for her and she was looking at having just three months left.

“It’s just heartbreaking.

“She’s devastated and frightened. She’s worried about leaving her little girl and her husband.

“When we originally set up the fundraising page last year she had just had Emmeline and bought a house.

“We wanted to try and help ease their financial worries.

“We had a fundraiser just before lockdown in Grangemouth Town Hall.

“A fundraising bingo night was planned for April but we had to cancel that as well as a coffee morning.

“Another fundraiser we had planned for November doesn’t look like it’s going to go ahead either as we are not able to book halls.

“So it’s had to be put on hold at the moment.”

The JustGiving page has received a lot of support since it was set up, and is continuing to receive donations as friends are actively promoting the page given the recent devastating news.

Julie’s target for the page was £10,000 and it has passed this figure with the total currently sitting at just over £17,000.

And she’s inviting people to continue giving their support.

She said: “It’s for when the inevitable happens to give them support financially.

“Jolene hasn’t touched a penny of the money that’s been raised so far.

“It’s for her husband and daughter in the future.

“We are trying to raise as much money as we can to ease their financial worries at this difficult time.”

Speaking back in October Jolene had said she initially hadn’t been keen on her friends setting up a fundraising page for the family but then realised she had to think about Emmeline and Alan.

She added: “People have been so generous already and I am so grateful to my amazing friends for doing this and to everyone who has donated – I can’t thank them enough.”

To donate to the Just-giving page set up for the Patrick family click here