Wife Gives Husband Beautiful Last Birthday Wish

What do you do when death is knocking on your door? Celebrate your birthday everyday, of course!

A brave father of three boys is living out his final days in style thanks to his fabulous wife who has started a nation-wide campaign to collect birthday cards for his 43rd birthday on August 23.

Suzanne and her three boys – Krystopher (nine) and twins Matthew and Lukas (eight) – are choosing to celebrate every day they have left with their much-loved husband and dad Sheldon, who is battling a rare tumour that will inevitably take his life.

The family were told in March that Sheldon had only 10 weeks to three months to live after treatment for a rare bowel cancer had failed.

“Last year when the first targeted chemotherapy stopped working, in August last year we learnt it failed dramatically,” Suzzanne told The Daily Mercury.

“He was rushed to Sydney where he underwent a big surgery to remove a large tumour. It took nine hours after we found the one surgeon in Sydney (Dr David Joseph) who would do it because of how dangerous the surgery was.”

Sheldon underwent two more chemo treatments, but in March this year the tumours had again mutated. He was in the process of liver shutdown. Unfortunately, we’ve now exhausted all the options.

“Sheldon is now in palliative therapy, with a regime just designed now to give him time at home.”

Since they were told the devastating news in March and stopped treatment, the family have made the most of their time together – heading to the beach at every opportunity, playing sport and going on little holidays.

With the cancer showing itself more and more each day, Suzanne says the boys have started to come to terms with “precious time” with their dad is coming to an end.

“Sheldon is getting very tired. He’s been able to live a relatively normal sort of life throughout the cancer journey so for him to now become progressively tired it’s a bit daunting for our sons to be seeing that,” Suzanne said.

“So I thought ‘right, I’ve really gotta make August a fun celebration’.”

In an effort to make Sheldon’s birthday “the best one yet”, she has made a viral appeal on her blog that has even caught the attention of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

“On the 23rd of August Sheldon will turn 43,” Suzanne wrote on her blog ‘And then suddenly’, which documents the family’s cancer journey of the past two years (see more of her post on the blog).

“The harsh reality of this journey is this: It will be his last birthday that we can celebrate with him.

“We want to fill this place with birthday awesomeness “¦ (our boys) need to read messages of birthday joy and kindness. We need to celebrate this in the face of the un-celebrate-able.”

Suzanne urged people to send Sheldon a birthday card to “celebrate life and the days and minutes and hours he has lived”.

Already, the family have received more than 200 birthday cards, including 90 handmade cards from Mackay Northern Beaches State High School students and one particular card that had her sons suitably impressed.

Suzanne hopes Sheldon will be healthy enough to enjoy a big birthday bash on his actual birthday on Sunday, August 23.

“At the moment we are having a cake every day, because every day in August is a birthday celebration. For Sheldon, it’s all about people being kind and passing on that kindness and celebrating life every day.”

And as for what this rollercoaster journey has taught this strong and eloquent mum and wife, it’s all about making the most of every day and being with the ones you love.

“Tough days. Great days. Teary days. Angry days. These are the days we walk. But hey – I’ll take them any way they come, because I get to have these days with him right here.”

The address to send Sheldon a birthday card is:

Sheldon Gakowski

PO Box 130, Rural View 4740