Just over 2 years ago I was at home on a Saturday night getting ready to go out. In a matter of minutes I went from feeling a bit 'off' to a screaming heap on the floor.
Mum seems to accept she is going to pass, but finds it difficult to accept how. Gasping for breath, her children watching her, changes in her appearance.
I've been fitted with a 'tongue' using the muscle of my calf ... From on now I will only be able to eat pureed food and my speech will be slurred. I wrote this poem and would like to share it with you.
When I was just 4 years old I had cancer in my overies, I had both of them taken out and I survived. I tell you now I am very lucky.
They'd advised me I'd need to have part of my cervix removed, I took it all in, and asked questions that came to mind. Next day I get a call back advising they were now looking into removing my whole cervix!
I am young, But I PROMISE I CAN make a difference! My name is Kasie. I'm 16 years old and a survivor of cancer.
It can't be totally removed as it involves the cavernous sinus, carotid artery, numerous important nerves, facial muscles and sphenoid bone. I've already lost most sight in the right eye and total hearing on the right side.
Each morning I greet the day at the break of dawn, and ponder at the miracle, of the sky's colour as I walk along the foreshore watching the sun rise to its many splendid changes.
As a confirmed workaholic I had few friends and no functioning family - could I do this without support? ... I was being put into hospital later that week ... as I lived in rural Victoria I'd need someone to take me home.
Ever since I can remember my grandma has been affected by cancer. When I was about 4 years old she came back from Florida complaining she couldn't breathe.
At the age of 16 I lost my younger brother to Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was 10 years of age when he had passed. Six months later a school friend who was 16 had passed to from suffering with a brain tumour.
The Doctor, a tall, warm, brilliant man who I came to admire greatly over the course of my treatment, took a lock of my hair in his hand and said, "I'm sorry, but all this lovely hair is going to go."
I couldn't for the life of me work out how to unlock the car. I thought this was strange and went inside straight past the wife to my computer to shut it down. I couldn't remember to click on start ...
Have you ever turned the corner and been surprised by what was there? Well that is what happened with me when I was diagnosed with secondary cancer.
Less than 9 months ago I was working, going to the gym most days, playing tennis and planning all the things one does. Life as usual.
Despite 3 brushes with cancer - of the endometrium, bowel and breast - for the past 5 years all has been well for 'Lucky Lady'.
I wear my scars with pride. They are a reminder that I fought and won a battle for my life ... I'm an avid believer in mammograms. I know early detection is the key to a good prognosis.
"We both stopped work that day and spent the rest of the week doing things together like horseriding and going for drives. It was a strange week - I felt like a warrior going to battle!"
I am the most proud mum in the world, knowing what we've all been through, I only wish they could have some recognition, as they were the trailblazers for the wonderful success rate achieved with Leukaemia
Being diagnosed with cancer at just 23 came as a big shock to me since I thought I had years ahead of me to achieve my life goals...
My husband just didn't understand domesticity and didn't quite know what to do with me. I heard him call my daughter after he'd brought me home and say, ‘Well, I've given Mum a cup of tea. What do I do now?'
Meet ‘Maria', a 36-year-old woman who was treated for breast cancer 3 ago. "The hardest feeling for me was the feeling of isolation; I was constantly reminded that breast cancer is an older women's disease."
'Leroy' is a 67-year-old man who was treated for prostate cancer 3 years ago.
It was certainly a shock but, believe it or not, I was quite pragmatic about it. I didn't have a lot of time to play with and I made some fairly quick decisions.
‘Moira' is a 68-year-old woman treated for breast cancer in 2002. "I didn't have any sense of mortality, I just had a sense that I had to get ready for something."
A hugely popular relay-style event that raises money for cancer research.
