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Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts

Sunday, August 23, 2015

My experience with cancer


My experience with cancer
Grace Hamill

My skin cancer journey began a lot earlier than most.

An unusual mole was making me uncomfortable and I had spoken to a number of doctors about it over the course of a few years. None of them thought it was an issue.

Ultimately, with my mum in tow for moral support, I requested a doctor to remove it, explaining that I would feel better knowing it was no longer there. He agreed, and I underwent the simple routine procedure.


A few weeks later I went back to get the stitches removed. My dad waited with my younger brother in the car and I entered the doctor’s office on my own, knowing it would only take a few minutes. Within minutes, I was rushed into the nearby surgery room after being told I had a stage II melanoma. Twenty stitches later, I returned to the car overwhelmed by my experience.

I was 16 at the time.

It took a while for me to heal – not just in the physical sense. Emotionally, I was pretty traumatised, as it was the last thing I expected to experience. My doctor was as taken aback. He admired my insistence in getting checked and my awareness of my own skin. “You saved your own life and I’m really proud of you,” he said. “You’re the hero of your own story.”

Despite the shock, I too was proud of myself and felt a sense of confidence in my knowledge of my own body.

Grace
In December that year, I had another spot on my neck removed just as a precaution. Shortly after, on the day before my 17th birthday, mum sat me down and told me the doctors called with bad news – I had another melanoma. It was more serious than my last experience and I was booked in to see a plastic surgeon at John Flynn Hospital on the Gold Coast. I spent that Christmas in a neck brace. It was another rough time, but I remained positive that it wasn’t picked up too late.

Living in Byron, most people I know worship the sun. It’s often hard to watch for me because I know what the end result can be. I have pretty obvious scars – one on my neck and one on my back. I don’t see them as being ‘bad’ because I get so many questions as a result of them. I’m always happy to answer these questions and I like that my scars give me opportunities to share my story.

I believe my scars help people understand that skin cancer isn’t something that just happens to older people who have spent a lifetime chasing a tan. No one is immune and it’s up to you to pick up on the signs.

My mum has a history of skin cancer. She was a typical Byron girl and spent her younger days soaking up the sun on the beach. She was diagnosed and treated when I was four, so as a result I was always the most sun-protected kid on the beach. I thank her for that and I always make sure I mention that to people who ask about my story. Staying sun protected definitely lowered my risk of skin cancer, but it didn’t make me invincible.

Knowing my skin and watching out for any changes is ultimately what saved my life (twice). Mum’s bad experience meant that she encouraged us to adopt good health habits. Her support was a huge factor in my being so insistent about investigating my first unusual mole.

Knowing your body is only ever a positive thing and taking the time out to be observant of any changes can be the difference between acting in time and finding out too late.

Be observant, be aware, and be curious about your own body. That’s my advice and I stand by it because it’s the reason my skin cancer story has a happy ending.

If you have a question, notice something unusual about your skin or a change you’re uncomfortable with, see a doctor. Ask questions until you get answers and remember that no one knows your skin better than you.

It’s up to you to be aware of your skin – it’s a responsibility you can’t afford to shun!

My experience with cancer


My experience with cancer

Nick Barnett

I was 34 and just days away from getting married when I was diagnosed with a melanoma on my jaw line. Like every other Aussie kid growing up in Australia, I spent a lot of time outdoors, playing sport, going to the beach and swimming.


And like every other Aussie teenager I thought it was cool to have a tan, but I never really got one, just sunburnt.

Being fair-skinned, I sort of sensed that I was more susceptible to skin cancer, but never really thought it would happen to me.

In 2011, after living in London for a few years with my fiancé Liz, we flew back to Australia for our wedding.

It was one of those really exciting but rushed times in my life.

I had always been pretty vigilant about getting my skin checked regularly, but must admit while I was living overseas I’d let things slip


Nick
Although I was flat out finalising wedding preparations and catching up with friends and family, I decided to squeeze in a dermatologist appointment, just to make sure everything was ok.

It was 10 days before my wedding and almost immediately she pointed to my jaw and said: “What’s that?”

I was surprised, I hadn’t even noticed the tiny spot, even when shaving each day. Looking back, small and hidden under my jaw line, it was probably easy to miss.

If she hadn’t noticed it, I doubt I would ever have had it checked.

My dermatologist insisted that I get a biopsy to diagnose what it was. As you can imagine, with my wedding now days away, I was reluctant because I didn’t want to stand at the altar with stitches on my face. But she was insistent.

I naively thought the biopsy would show nothing – but two days before the wedding, she rang to say it was a stage one melanoma. It was a huge reality check! If I’d put off seeing her I doubt I would have done anything until we ultimately moved back to Australia six months later – by then things could have been worse.

Liz and I sat down and talked about our options. After months of planning photographers, cake, venue and invitees, this was the last thing we expected to be dealing with at this late stage.

At first, my doctor recommended immediate surgery on the eve of the wedding to remove a larger section around where the biopsy had been taken. Fortunately, because it was early stage, the surgeon I consulted agreed to let me go ahead with the wedding and take our honeymoon before my surgery.

After a couple of wonderful weeks away, Liz and I were forced to say goodbye as I flew back to Australia for surgery and she returned to work in London. It wasn’t how we expected our married life to begin, but in the scheme of things it wasn’t a big deal.

The surgery was a success and removed any doubt that traces of the melanoma still existed. I was fortunate because we caught the melanoma in the early stages so I didn’t require further treatment like chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Since this event, I’ve become far more conscious of the dangers of the sun. These days I make a point of telling my friends to protect themselves and keep a close eye on their skin.

Luckily, it was a happy ending. Liz and I have now been married for three years and we recently welcomed the arrival of our daughter, Evie.

I’ll definitely be making sure that, as Evie grows up, she’s is a lot more careful and conscious of skin protection than I was.

My experience with cancer


My experience with cancer

Kyle Howle


I’ve always been healthy and enjoyed spending time outdoors.
I grew up in the Blue Mountains and my parents were always conscious of protecting my fair skin. Of course, things changed as I got older and I was occasionally sun burnt, but it definitely wasn’t a regular occurrence.

My career in the Police Force was going well and I was in the prime of my life when I was diagnosed with melanoma, aged 25.

It was early 2010 when I noticed a raised mole on the top of my scalp. It was under my hair and not sore, so I wasn’t too concerned. Months later, in December, the mole started to become itchy and a little irritated so I went to the local skin cancer clinic.

It was September 2011 when my girlfriend noticed that the mole was looking very dark and she began to worry about it. She encouraged me to go and get an opinion from a dermatologist.

I attended the dermatologist surgery and he diagnosed it as a suspected melanoma on the spot. He said it absolutely had to come out. Within the week, I had seen a surgeon and had the mole removed.

Another week later, I received the biopsy results from the removed mole. They indicated that the mole was a Clark level IV melanoma (meaning it had invaded the reticular dermis of the skin) and two millimetres deep. It was determined that further invasive surgery had to be undertaken.

At that point, I was referred on to the Melanoma Institute of Australia for further treatment. When you hear that you have cancer, all thoughts about work and socialising totally drop off the radar. The severity of this ugly-looking mole, that I hadn’t been too concerned about, really hit home and shocked me.

I had a further surgery in October 2011, which resulted in more skin being removed from the top of my head and a six centimetre skin graft being applied. I also had a number of lymph nodes taken out at this time, which came back clear, indicating that the cancer most likely hadn’t spread.

For nearly two years, I continued to see my dermatologist, but it was in July 2013 that I found a lump in my neck. The lump was small, about the size of a pea and lay just under my skin. A biopsy and PET scan indicated that two of the lymph nodes in the right side of my neck contained malignant melanoma.

I had a radical neck dissection where the surgeons took out all the lymph nodes and surrounding muscle tissue on the right side of my neck and shoulder. It took about six months of rehab to get my neck moving from side to side again. And it was probably a full year before my movement was back to a normal range of motion. As they had removed so much of my muscle, I lost a lot of strength. I also permanently lost feeling to the right side of my face, neck and shoulder.


Kyle
When you’re told that the cancer has spread, it makes you feel incredibly vulnerable. It made me feel that nothing was certain anymore. My first hurdle had been bad enough, but this one was even worse. What could happen next?

About a month after the neck dissection, I elected to go into a medical clinical trial for third stage melanoma patients, conducted at the Melanoma Institute. It’s a five year study, which I’m currently in the middle of. In some ways, I consider the clinical trial to be a bit of a safety blanket because if anything goes wrong, it’s likely to be picked up early. It’s the hope that the clinical trial has eliminated any remaining melanoma cells in my body.

I finished the trial medication a couple of months ago and am currently having CT scans and other checks every three months to check on my progress.

I have a two year-old son who was born a little less than a year after my initial surgery. By far the greatest change in mindset that I’ve had from this experience has been towards my son. There is so much more to think about than just myself. I am also hyper vigilant and conscious about protecting him from the sun. I definitely don’t want him, or anyone else, to go through what I have.

It’s critically important that everyone understands that the sun can do severe and lasting damage to your skin. It doesn’t take much exposure to cause a chain of events which can lead to a number of major surgeries and can severely impact your life

Saturday, August 22, 2015

My experience with cancer


My experience with cancer

Scott Roediger



I’m sharing my brother’s story during National Skin Cancer Action Week in the hope that it will shock some people into being a little bit smarter about their time in the sun this summer, particularly if they work outdoors.


I had my first experience with skin cancer when I found out my friend Graeme had been diagnosed with melanoma. Graeme and his family battled with every ounce of strength they had, but unfortunately the cancer spread throughout his body and took a strong hold.

Little did I know that my younger brother Gav would also be diagnosed with melanoma just a few months later and pass away as a result at the age of 30.

So where do I begin?

My brother had always had a bit of an outdoors lifestyle. After high school, he decided to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and join the Army. He served many years in the North Queensland city of Townsville and did many overseas tours, including one in Iraq after 9/11.

Eventually, he quit the Army and moved back to Perth, where he took a job working with me in carpentry and construction. I think it’s fair to say that between his time in the Army and his time working with me, my brother spent a lot of time out in the sun.


It was less than a year ago when he started to first experience symptoms. We were at my best friend’s wedding and it was meant to be a great time away, but Gav was unwell. He had body aches and pains, tiredness and massive headaches that could not be explained. 

The next weekend the body aches, headaches and pains got worse and my mum called me to say Gav had been rushed to hospital for scans. That same day we were told he had a tumour on his brain.

It was devastating news. Thoughts of losing my brother started rushing through my mind. I had a lot of crazy thoughts and feelings and didn’t know how to react.

Over the coming days and weeks the amazing specialist and doctors here in Perth discovered that my brother’s brain tumour had rapidly stemmed from a melanoma.

It was a really hard time for the family. As humans, I think we always fear the worst but hope for the best and think anything is possible. My family and I believed Gavin could beat it – and he did battle on courageously. Gav never complained or blamed the world, he just took it on his chin and got up each day to try to live to the best of his ability. He faced a lot of ups and downs – it is amazing what the human body can endure.

There were some extremely bad days when Gav could not walk or really sit up. He would be sick for days at a time. These days were hard for all to see. His body was slowly dying.

As a family with close friends, everyone rallied around him. I know Gavin found it hard to see people all the time. He did not want his friends to pity him or worry over him; he put on a brave face and did his best to spend time with his mates. I think most of all he loved his time with his best mate Evie, his Kelpie pup. She put the biggest smiles on his face.   

My brother and I grew closer during this time – we would go to the movies, head to the park with the dogs or just relax together. Being able to spend time with him and chat openly was very special to me. I wish we had that sort of relationship all our lives. It sucks that we needed a life or death situation to be able to get to that point.

I have some great memories of taking a final trip with Gav up to my sister’s house in Kununurra. It was one last trip for Gav and we made it count. We went site seeing and had an amazing ride in our mate’s helicopter out to some beautiful gorges, where we landed and had a swim. That was a great day.

People who know me would tell you that I have been a workaholic all my life, but seeing my brother deal with cancer has changed me. I now understand that life is not about working for money or a house or stuff that we don’t need – life is about the people around us and spending time with them. That’s all we need. The rest is so insignificant.

You just never know what will be around the corner waiting for us. In a crazy stressed out world, we need to smile more.

My brother Gav died at the age of 30 on 12 October 2013.

He had been rushed back to the hospital just days before as he had started feeling very sick at home. Gav had bought two Perth Wildcats membership season tickets for himself and me. Game 1 of the season was on the Friday 11 October 2013. Gav could not leave the hospital, so I went to the game with my best mate. We found it hard to focus on the game, but still enjoyed it.

Early the following day, my mum called and told me to get to the hospital as soon as possible. I made a mad dash across the city and arrived at the hospital in time. When I walked into his room he had already fallen into a deep sleep and it was only a matter of minutes before he left us.

My friend Graeme, also dealing with melanoma, was in the hospital just two doors down from Gav’s room on the same day.

I sat by Gav’s bed alongside my mum and dad and Gavin’s girlfriend. We all were overwhelmed with emotions as his breathing slowed and then stopped and started for a while. My parents prayed as we sat in complete silence as my brother passed away and went home to God.

Unfortunately, I have been to a few more funerals this past year, including Graeme’s.

I think I’ve learnt that no matter what the situation, we need to remember our loved ones who have passed away. I feel comfortable in knowing Gavin lived a great life. He served our great country on tours throughout the Middle East, he travelled the world and had many great adventures along the way. He was a good brother and a great uncle to our niece and nephew.

He would have made a great dad and husband one day. I know that many people have been through experiences similar to mine. It sucks. So that’s why I wanted to tell my story. We need to band to together. That’s what Gav always told me about the Army. They had each other’s back through thick and thin.

So, I get back to where I started.

We can do a lot to help ourselves and try keep healthy and stronger for longer. Unfortunately, there are lot of different types of diseases and cancer among us in this world. We need to look after our bodies. It’s the only one we get. Eat right, keep everything in moderation, put on sunscreen and protect yourself when in the sun.

It’s not bloody rocket science really. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and even for our friends and family.

Get out there and spread the word. Sun protection is needed. Who cares if you’re not tanned and have sunscreen slathered all over your face? I reckon that’s the cool thing to do. And it just may prevent you having to go through the year I have.

My experience with cancer


My experience with cancer

Tracey Williams




In the middle of 2013, I had an intense pain deep within my bowel only three times, each lasting for about 15 minutes. The pain was enough to take my breath away and force me to sit down.

A few months later, I went to my GP about the pain and he referred me to a surgeon. I was told that it was most likely Levator ani syndrome that was causing the discomfort. Levator ani syndrome is essentially a spasming bowel, caused by stress. He recommended a colonoscopy just to be sure.

I had the colonoscopy in December 2013. After the procedure, the surgeon told me that I definitely had Levator ani syndrome and that I needed to slow down (I was working three jobs at the time!). He’d also found a very small single polyp which he had removed. He told me that everything looked normal though and that there was no need for me to worry.

The polyp was tested, as they all are, and found to be positive for bowel cancer. I still remember when he called to tell me the news - it was a Thursday. I was so shocked. I was 47 and healthy – known as the ‘juice freak’ and ‘salad queen’ among family and friends. I’d also been a vegan and vegetarian during various stage of my life. I couldn’t believe that I had cancer. The surgeon told me that the cancer was stage 1 and that I needed to get myself out of Mackay and to Brisbane ASAP to see a specialist.

I did what I was told and booked in to see a colorectal cancer specialist in Brisbane the very next day. Here I had a CT scan which confirmed that the polyp was the only cancer in my body – that was good news! My surgeon discussed the two possible options with me: 1) taking a punch hole out of my bowel, around where the polyp had been, and sewing it back up. This could be done through the anus, but there was less assurance that they would be able to get it all; 2) have one foot of my bowel removed, which would give me a 98% chance of never seeing the cancer again. I went for option two.

On 13 December 2013, I had a three hour surgery and spent six days in hospital. Unfortunately, the recovery since this procedure has been a very slow and humiliating experience for me. While everyone recovers differently, my recovery was so difficult because my bowel essentially went to sleep and wouldn’t wake up for eight weeks. It just wouldn’t work properly and I’d find myself yo-yoing between diarrhoea and constipation for months. It was nearly impossible to find the right balance of food and medication and I found myself in hospital another couple of times.


Tracey
During the difficult year following my surgery, I turned to a lot of different support networks for help. The advice I received from Cancer Council Queensland, Bowel Cancer Australia and online forums has been absolutely invaluable. I had a really tough year, but it meant so much to know that a friendly, helpful voice was just a phone call or a click away. I’m now trying to connect with local Mackay bowel cancer patients too, in the hope that I can offer them the type of support I found so useful. I believe that connecting with someone locally, just to chat and to listen is really important.

More than a year on from my surgery, I’m finally on a diet plan that nearly makes me feel normal again. Finding the right balance of foods to eat has been the trickiest part. For a very long time, I could only eat chicken, rice and yoghurt, as the fibre in other foods made me sick. Now I’m on a diet that isn’t too restrictive, allows me to eat greens again, and keeps me balanced.

I didn’t realise that the recovery was going to be so hard. Being diagnosed with bowel cancer has made me tough, scared on the inside, but tough. When you face losing time with your family, there is no other option. You’ll do whatever it takes to have more time with your loved ones and you’ll go through anything for the sake of your family.

Bowel cancer has changed me, not only physically but mentally. While recovery for me has been a slow and difficult process, I’m so grateful that my bowel cancer was detected early, meaning a greater chance of successful treatment.

Bowel cancer isn’t the second biggest cancer killer in Australia for no reason. If you notice anything unusual, get it checked out. While bowel cancer is most common in people aged over 50, my story shows that it can happen at any age. That’s why it’s so important to get anything unusual checked out and speak to your doctor if you’re concerned about bowel cancer. They say 90% of bowel cancers can be cured if found early. Mine was found early and it saved my life. My friend’s wife’s cancer wasn’t found early and sadly she’s gone now. You don’t have to wait until it’s too late. Do it now.

My experience with cancer


My experience with cancer

Breanne Shawa


I was diagnosed with bone cancer when I was just 14.

It all started with what we thought was just a persistent sports injury in my arm. When the pain refused to go away, my parents thought it would be best to visit the doctor and get it checked out. The doctor’s appointment was on a Friday. He sent me for an ultrasound and x-ray and by the following Monday I’d received my diagnosis.


The whole family was incredibly shocked and surprised to found out that this supposedly simple sports injury was actually cancer. The diagnosis came out of the blue, no one saw it coming. My whole family, including my mum, dad and older brother, had their lives turned upside down. We had to adjust to a new type of normal.

After the diagnosis, I was sent to many different doctors in Albury (where we live), who referred me to a surgeon and oncologist in Melbourne. This geographical issue made things tough. We were always commuting back and forth between Melbourne and Albury for another test, more results and overnight stays. Mum and dad had to take time off work, I stopped going to school and my brother (who was doing his HSC) also stopped school for a while.


To help my brother get through his exams, my parents would tag team between Albury and Melbourne. One of them would spend half the week with me and the other half with my brother. Then they’d swap, only seeing each other briefly in these moments.

I started my treatment with 10 weeks of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour at the Royal Children’s Hospital. I then had major reconstructive surgery on my arm, followed by more surgeries – including two more reconstructions where the tumour was.

I then had 40 weeks of chemotherapy, that’s nearly 11 months! While the hospital staff and nurses were lovely, the treatment was very tough. I was always sick with high temperatures and nose bleeds. I would try to come home to Albury for the weekend, but would find myself back in hospital. The treatment felt like it was never ending.

There were a lot of kids that I met in hospital who sadly passed away in the time I was there. I would be playing cards with them one day and then never see them again. It was incredibly sad and a lot to deal with as a 14 year-old. The hospital helped with supporting us all, taking our mind off treatment and giving us people to talk to if we needed it.



Breanne
I finally finished treatment on 10 October 2011. I started going back to the hospital for six weekly check-ups, then these were pushed back to three monthly and since the end of last year, I only need to go in every six months. I’ve also now transferred to the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre as I’m getting too old for the Children’s Hospital.

Since finishing treatment, I’ve been passionate about raising awareness of childhood cancer, particularly in my local area of Albury. I made a YouTube video to raise awareness of the disease which lots of people saw. After the success of the video, I was on local TV and radio talking about childhood cancers and sharing my story. My principal and a friend of my mum’s then nominated me for, and I actually won, the 2014 Young Citizen of the Year in Albury. I was up against so many inspiring people doing amazing work in the community, I still can’t believe that I won! It was lovely to receive recognition for something that I’m passionate about.

I am also involved with a lot of charities like Cancer Council, Make A Wish, the Ricky Ponting Foundation, Country Hope, The Sony Foundation and Challenge. I participate in Albury’s Relay for Life every year and am always busy supporting these organisations at talks and events.

I hope that by sharing my story through all these different avenues, I’m helping other people who are going through a similar experience. I mentor a number of people affected by cancer in my area, giving them someone to talk to, which is nice for me too. I didn’t have anyone to talk to when I was going through treatment and I know how beneficial this would have been for me. I think it also helps for them to know that they’re not alone in what they’re going through.

Throughout my cancer journey, I always tried to remain positive. While things were difficult at the time, for me there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

My arm is ok now. I can do most things like drive a car and write, but I can’t lift my arm above my head, so it makes things like washing my hair tough. Over time, I’ve gotten used to it and found ways to do everything with one arm. I hardly even notice it anymore.

I finished year 12 last year and am doing a double degree in social work and human services at La Trobe University in Wodonga. I want to be a social worker, in either paediatrics or adolescents, but definitely in cancer.

I look forward to seeing what the future brings and using my experience to help other people.

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