CCP Saves Lives

In 2003 I was diagnosed with an ‘inoperable’ brain tumour. It was a devastating blow to our family. We had 4 small children, the youngest was 5 years old.

In 2006 a friend introduced me to this super cool game, EVE Online. I was addicted from day 1. I joined a corp belonging to my friend’s friend and played 23 hours straight. The hour-long downtime was my time out from EVE. I was using EVE to manage my pain, it was an excellent way to distract myself. I knew if I was not well enough to log on, I was having a VERY bad day. My husband joined me in EVE, and he was addicted too.

Over time the corp grew. Some of the members were also in a null-sec corp called Blueprint Haus. They spent 6 months trying to convince me to join, and I finally did. One day in 2010, I was chatting with one of my corpies, Strolling Astronomer, and explaining the gravity of my health situation. I had steadily declined for 7 years. He asked me if I had seen a particular Neurosurgeon I had never heard of before. He told me to send off an email and explain the situation and see if there was anything he could do. I did.

Within a month I had an appointment and travelled the 900km by car (I could no longer fly) to see the neurosurgeon. The Dr told me I had 6 months left if I did not have surgery. We booked in for the surgery to be done mid-February 2011 and drove 900km home. February 2011,  the flooding in Brisbane and northern NSW, my husband and I did after the 900km trip again and I went in for surgery. (Obviously, I survived, or I would not be writing this.) Things didn’t go quite to plan, and I had some complications. I logged in to EVE the day after surgery to let my EVE family know I was okay. After I got home 2 weeks later, I discovered my memory had been profoundly impacted and I couldn’t remember how to do all the things I used to do in EVE, so I’d just log on and chat with the corp.

I have taken a long time away from EVE while I have been recovering, studying and improving my memory. It is great to come back and see some of the old crew and pick up where I left off.

At the beginning of this year, I went in for day surgery and ended up in ICU for 2 days and then the neuro ward for the rest of the week. A week later I was back in the hospital for another week and coded three times while there. I discharged myself so that I could go back to University and complete my degree.

I completed my BPsychSc before coming to EVE Vegas and received my final results in the middle of it. I had my first co-authored paper published in the European Journal of Cancer care earlier this year.

We told the Space Pope my story and he told CCP Hellmar, both cried and hugged me. EVE is the biggest family in the world, not just a friendship machine. 

EVE Vegas 2019 - with my two best friends.
Mik Nostrebor (My husband), Ailuj Nostrebor (Me), Lumpynurse