“How are you doing today?”

It’s an innocuous question for most of us, something we ask often without really listening to the answer. But hardship can happen to anyone.

“I’ll tell you on Tuesday,” was the answer I got when I asked this of Josee.

Tuesday is the day Josee and her husband Joseph will receive results from Joseph’s most recent PET scan.

This is what life is so often like for people who have had a bone marrow transplant or, like Joseph, have received CAR-T cell therapy. It’s a waiting game: waiting for tests, waiting for blood transfusions, waiting to recover, waiting for results, waiting for symptoms to resolve, waiting and watching to see if the cancer will return.

And it’s a long road. Some days are good days for Joseph, others not so good with fatigue and dizziness which make it impossible for him to return to work. Josee, too, has had to give up work to care for her husband.

It’s been a long and difficult road, not just regarding Joseph’s health, but also financially: They’ve had to be at the hospital for lengthy visits — daily at times — which has meant a big increase to their usual cost of petrol, plus all the hospital parking fees. Some weeks there’s barely been enough left over to buy groceries.

“Neither of us can work right now,” Josee said. “I’m not sure my husband ever will again.

“We’ve always been self-sufficient. We never thought, not ever, that we would be in a situation where we would wonder how we would get through Christmas.

“We used to plan and dream, but then illness stuck our family and put us in this situation. We used to ask why. Why us? What will happen? What should we do? What plans can we make now? I don’t ask these questions anymore. Nothing is a shock now. We just wake up and deal with whatever each day throws at us, just dealing with each new crazy thing that happens as it happens.”

We asked Josee what she would say if she could address a room full of our supporters. Here’s what she said:

“Don’t ever wonder whether what you contribute makes a difference. It does. It’s a huge help. People who are in this situation are often embarrassed and too proud to ask for help, but believe me, when you get to the point where you wonder how you will put food on the table and also pay for petrol and parking to get your husband to his treatment at the hospital, and then an organisation like Arrow offers you grocery and food vouchers… well, believe me, it is really appreciated. What you do when you support Arrow really matters.

“Don’t be afraid to open your heart and see what is going on. We never thought we would be in a situation like this. Not ever. It’s only when you get here that you realise that this can happen to anyone. You never know what’s around the corner.

“The help we have received is more than just financial. Yes, it’s money to help pay for food and petrol and parking, but it’s more than that. It makes us feel that little bit safer, knowing that there are good people in the world who are willing to help. It makes a difference. Always remember that your help is a very, very good thing.”

Help people like Josee & Joseph this Christmas by making a tax deductible donation here.