By Russell Bennett
The Pakenham community rallied around one of its own earlier this month to support young mum Caitlin Collins in not only the fight of her life, but her quest to spend as much quality time as possible with her son Tyler.
Locals gathered at the Pakenham Golf Course for a day of fun and togetherness, and to raise money at the Time With Tyler day on 7 October.
There was plenty of family entertainment on offer throughout the day, with fundraising activities also on hand.
Caitlin, 31, has metastatic colon cancer that has since spread from her bowel to her liver, her lungs, her lymph nodes and, most recently, her bones.
The event earlier this month was aimed at raising enough money to allow the pair to share as many experiences as possible – experiences that so many would take for granted, like spending a day with the penguins at Phillip Island or heading to the theme parks on the Gold Coast.
Caitlin’s battle has been over a relatively short period of time so far – a matter of months. In fact, she was diagnosed on 25 August.
“I guess it’s hard because some days it’s as if I forget that I have cancer,” she said.
“I feel normal, I do normal stuff, but then by about 2pm it hits me and I’m so drained I just have to get into bed.
“A lot of the time I’ll get in the car and go for a drive just to cry.
“It’s just things like watching The Bachelor and things like that, and knowing that I’ll never find someone and get married.
“It was nice the other day when the oncologist said that after my six months of this chemo treatment they’ll see how it’s going and they might have to see what the next option is.
“It’s weird to say this, but it was nice just to know I’ve got at least six months.”
Caitlin has her good days, and her bad days but always – right at the front of her mind – is Tyler.
For more, visit https://www.gofundme.com/making-memories-with-tyler-xx
