Halo’s chief executive officer and founder Dianna Freitag is gearing up for the fight of her life, as she takes on her first few weeks of chemotherapy for a recent breast cancer diagnosis.
But that won’t stop the local mother from continuing to put others before herself, with a new idea inspired by her recent experience to help other cancer patients.
Dee, as she is known to her friends, received the news she had an invasive ductal carcinoma – a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer that is often not receptive to hormone treatments, in January.
Dee is an inspiration to her family, her team, the community as well as other local agencies.
- Halo team
After it was revealed the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, Ms Freitag started chemotherapy on February 11 in an attempt to stop the rapidly growing cancer.
The mother of four will continue to endure a high dose of heavy chemo as well as surgery, radiation and a possible double mastectomy over the coming months.
And, even in her darkest hour, one of Mandurah’s most selfless women is still thinking of others.
After her experience so far receiving chemotherapy, Ms Freitag is working with medical staff and cancer patients to develop a Chemo Care Pack.
Ms Freitag said it was “confronting and emotional” to walk into a chemo ward and proposed a pack for those getting treatment with items including chewing gum, a notebook, eye masks and earplugs.
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But with a battle of her own on her hands, the rest of the team at Halo have started a Go Fund Me campaign to assist the Freitag family.
Ms Freitag’s husband has been informed his employment will cease in less than a month and, with the cost of renovating the home to accommodate for his wife's recovery quickly adding up, is in need of additional support.
On top of that, the couple's daughter and three sons must be genetically tested due to the nature of their mother's cancer, at a cost of $4000 per child.
The Halo team said they hoped members of the Peel community who had been "touched by our angel in one way or another" would dig deep to ease the family's financial burden.
“Dee is an inspiration to her family, her team, the community as well as other local agencies,” they said.
“Her strength has never been questioned – her determination and passion is a force to be reckoned with.
“Dee has spent half her young life shaping Mandurah by helping the homeless and people in need – the tables have turned and now Dee is facing her own personal fight.”
To support the Freitag family, visit the Go Fund Me page or join Dee’s Fight Club on Facebook.