Illawarra cancer patient Carol Loy says the support of both relatives and her "other family" have helped raise valuable funds.
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Ms Loy was diagnosed last December with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer with the potential to spread into bone marrow and major organs.
Recently, the 55-year-old Lake Illawarra resident set a goal to raise funds to donate to the Illawarra Cancer Carers volunteer group.
The group are based at the Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, where Ms Loy is undergoing treatment.
A fundraising page was set-up via GoFundMe, with an initial goal to raise $1000 by shaving Ms Loy's head.
Instead, this event raised about $4800.
This was followed by a recent fundraising day with her "other family", the Illawarra squash community.
The fundraiser featured one of Illawarra's best Troy Mountford, and a handful of top players from Sydney taking part.
"Where I play squash, Dapto Squash Club, they came to me and asked if they could run a charity squash day," Ms Loy said.
"All the funds from the raffles and everything we raised on the day, they gave to me towards my donation.
"The squash community are so great, the way they pull together, all the time.
"It's like another family.
"The squash community did an amazing job, they're just awesome people."
This meant a total of $18,590 was raised between the two fundraisers.
Ms Loy visited the centre on Saturday to donate the funds raised to the Illawarra Cancer Carers.
The Illawarra Cancer Care Centre opened in 1991. It was built following a fundraising effort by the people of the Illawarra and was developed for patients to receive treatment closer to home.
Ms Loy was pleased to be able to support the cause, praising volunteers' efforts.
Illawarra Cancer Carers president Sue Maidman said all funds donated remained within the Illawarra.
"We're very grateful for any donations - this one from Carol is mind-blowing," she said. "Every cent we're given is put to very good use."
Ms Loy self-diagnosed last year, when she found a lump on her stomach.
She has one chemotherapy treatment left.
"Then I have a test and they see whether or not they've got it all," she said.
"My lymphoma, it's slow, very non-aggressive. Basically my hematologist told me they can never cure it, but they put it into remission and it may come back in seven or seven years.
"So the prognosis is pretty good."
By her side throughout has been her mum Betty, her partner George, children Steven, Ryan and Sarah, as well as Sarah's husband Chad and Steven's wife Coby.