Lung cancer has impacted my life in an infinite number of ways. It has been a huge shock and the journey has had many obstacles.
It’s like I have gone through some curtains into the land of cancer, and life will never be the same.
In December 2019, I was told I had Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer and that I had just six months to live. I feared I would never see my children graduate.
The diagnosis was shattering … it came out of nowhere. The shock and disbelief were incredible and the confusion, anxiety and fear debilitating.
Thankfully, while it left us thousands of dollars out of pocket, life-saving, game-changing tests and medication were available overseas. They gave me hope, not only to spend time with my family but to get back to work, which is more than I could have ever asked for when I was diagnosed.
As a person living well beyond my initial diagnosis, I feel it is my purpose to give back and provide hope for others, including any newly diagnosed patients.
The journey of living with lung cancer can, at times, be an assault on the senses for everyone involved. Research means that people diagnosed with lung cancer can live longer, and it can be treated like a chronic illness rather than a death sentence.
Through further investment in research here, I hope that every Australian touched by lung cancer will have access to the best treatment and care. I hope that we will be able to more often diagnose lung cancer at Stage 1, not Stage 4.