At the age of fourteen, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ALL) having been continuously unwell with colds for around six months. After two years of intensive treatment including both chemotherapy and radiotherapy throughout my final years at high school, I was given the all clear and went on to study at University. I was actively involved with CanTeen until the age of 20 when I moved interstate and made the decision to go out on my own. The unwavering support from my peers at this organisation helped me greatly in developing my self-confidence and enabled me to become the person I am today.
Having a diagnosis like leukaemia as a teenager changed me and it helped to plan my future path both from a professional and from a personal perspective. I became a qualified Radiation Therapist and worked in different capacities both here in Australia and overseas and consequently was lost to traditional follow up. Through professional contacts and my own self-awareness I arranged to attend a Late Effects clinic in Adelaide at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) and an endocrinology clinic in the United Kingdom where I was living and working.
In 2015 I was diagnosed with radiation induced meningiomata on the left side of my brain. After an eventful surgery and ongoing recovery, I am a two time survivor whose life has again been shaped emotionally, practically, financially and socially by my experience, and living with the knowledge that it could happen again.
This presentation will address the impact the diagnoses have had on my life and also the need for ongoing follow-up for long term survivors.