Student who moved to Australia to provide for her family in India is dealt a devastating blow that will stop her from working for at least 10 months
A university student who works multiple jobs to support her family back home in India while studying in Australia has been diagnosed with stage three cancer.
Alisha Limbu, 23, was recently rushed to a hospital in Melbourne to undergo major surgery after her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Doctors removed a massive seven-kilogram tumour, an ovary, appendix, fallopian tube and the inner lining of her stomach.
The student, originally from Darjeeling at the foot of the Himalayas, may have to undergo more surgery after the cancer spread to her pelvic region.
But Ms Limbu must first undergo an exhausting round of chemotherapy and has been ordered by doctors not to work for the next ten months.
International student Alisha Limbu (pictured) has been rocked by a recent cancer diagnosis
Before her shock diagnosis, Ms Limbu juggled university studies with several jobs to help support her parents and brother back home in India.
It’s another cruel blow for the family after her father suffered multiple brain strokes last year.
Melbourne’s Indian community have rallied around the brave student so she can focus on the long road to recovery ahead.
‘This young girl may look timid and tender, but apart from continuing to support herself, her fragile shoulders have been supporting her family in Darjeeling, India,’ an online fundraiser states.
‘She supports her brother’s living expenses, and her father, who is on his road to recovery after suffering multiple brain strokes last year. Alisha is the only strength her mother, a homemaker, her father and brother look up to keep the family moving.
‘Under such circumstances, being diagnosed with cancer has been physically and mentally debilitating for her.’
The Indian student (pictured in hospital) has undergone major surgery to remove a 7kg tumour
It’s estimated around 1,815 new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed in Australia last year.
The five year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 49 per cent.
While Ms Limbu’s medical insurance covered the cost of her surgery, ongoing expenses such as medications, CT scans, blood tests are not covered while chemotherapy is only partially funded.
‘In addition to this, the doctor has advised her to take rest for the next ten months, during which she isn’t able to make any earnings,’ the page states.
‘This is why we have come together to help her in her time of need and raise funds for Alisha’s medical treatments and living expenses for the next ten months.
‘We aim to raise enough money to cover her medical bills and help Alisha get through her treatments to resume her studies and return to a normal life.’
More than $20,000 has been raised within a week.
Alisha Limbu (pictured in hospital) has commenced chemotherapy treatment
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