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<\/p>\nBELLBRAE\u2019S Janine Manderfeld admitted to feeling helpless after learning her close childhood friend Mat was battling bladder cancer and dealing with the possibility of just months to live.<\/p>\n
COVID-19 restrictions meant Janine couldn\u2019t visit metro Melbourne to support Mat and his wife Claire physically, and she knew their finances were stretched, with Mat unable to work and Claire working overtime to pay the bills.<\/p>\n
But after launching a fundraiser, shaving her head and raising almost $20,000 so far, Janine and her donors have made an incredible difference to Mat and Claire\u2019s future \u2013 however long together that may be.<\/p>\n
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Janine said she started the GoFundMe page with hopes of raising enough for her friends to go away for holiday and enjoy some quality time while they could, but the tally has exceeded early expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many of us (friends and family) were feeling powerless and this was how we could do something,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had amazing support from friends and family; it\u2019s been fantastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea how much money we could raise; then it became so much more and when I spoke to Claire I realised what it meant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are both incredible musicians and teachers, and have been also been impacted financially by COVID,\u201d Janine said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cClaire said because we\u2019d raised that amount she could reduce her work and spend more time with Mat, and they don\u2019t have to worry about money as much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mat\u2019s cancer story started when he noticed blood in his urine at the start of 2020, then came the discovery of a tumour on his bladder, followed by surgery and immunotherapy treatment, with his body responding well.<\/p>\n
However, less than 12 months later, Mat started experiencing severe back pain. The cancer had spread and fractured his fourth lumbar vertebra, forcing him to have spinal fusion to prevent further damage.<\/p>\n
Chemotherapy and other treatments have followed but the cancer has continued to spread, including to his liver and a lymph node.<\/p>\n
Janine said Matt had been in hospital last week but was back home by Saturday to watch the head shave event in Janine\u2019s front yard on his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m donating my hair so it had to be in sections, platted and cut, and then my husband Thomas shaved it off,\u201d she said, explaining her fundraiser would go to Variety \u2013 hair with heart, which works with wigmakers to make wigs for kids and adults who have lost their hair due to a medical condition.<\/p>\n
So while Janine\u2019s hair goes to another important cause, she\u2019s as committed to raising more money for Mat and Claire, as Mat is to fighting cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can keep growing that amount, that\u2019s more security for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyone able to support Janine\u2019s fundraiser can read more about Mat and Claire, and make a donation, at gofundme.com\/f\/financial-support-for-mat-and-claire.<\/p>\n
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BELLBRAE\u2019S Janine Manderfeld admitted to feeling helpless after learning her close childhood friend Mat was battling bladder cancer and dealing with the possibility of just months to live. COVID-19 restrictions meant Janine couldn\u2019t visit metro Melbourne to support Mat and his wife Claire physically, and she knew their finances were stretched, with Mat unable to […]<\/p>\n