Marnie faced 18 months of distressing symptoms before receiving a diagnosis that would change her life. Thanks to the generosity of people who donate to the Leukaemia Foundation, Australians like Marnie don’t have to face blood cancer alone.
Marnie has lived in regional Victoria her whole life, growing up in a town of only 1500 people.
Like many young adults, she was exploring what she wanted to do once she graduated high school, trying out different jobs such as working as a nanny, when she began experiencing extremely itchy skin.
I was constantly itchy and I couldn’t do anything to make it go away,” says Marnie.
“I was scratching to the point where I was covered in sores and bleeding all the time and I had these big patches red scaly skin all over my legs.
For 18 months Marnie endured the distressing symptoms – so bad that she had trouble sleeping. During this time, she visited doctors and specialists seeking relief but never found any answers. Eventually, a GP suspected Marnie’s symptoms could be something more serious and sent her for further tests.
Hear more about Marnie’s journey:
Just one week before her 22nd birthday, Marnie received the news that would change everything. She had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
It was a shock,” recalls Marnie. “I’d never known anyone with lymphoma before so I wouldn’t have ever connected the dots that itchy skin would mean cancer.
Getting a diagnosis was only half the challenge for Marnie.
Living in Taren Point Victoria, Marnie’s local hospital had no specialised experience of blood cancers. As a result she faced travelling long distances to receive the best care possible “I just wanted the best medical team around me.”
Every fortnight, Marnie travelled a four-hour roundtrip to get chemotherapy for lifesaving chemotherapy. Undergoing treatment over the summer, the ordeal was exhausting.
“I’d almost get sunburn in the car because of not having any hair and the treatment made me so pale. It was really hard to drive in the heat a lot of the days.”
But for Marnie, one of the hardest parts of treatment was feeling “a lack of control over her body”.
So often I’d make plans to do something and wake up the morning of and not even be able to get out of bed …Thankfully the itchiness went away as soon as I had my first chemo, but then it was all this other pain … and the side effects from the medication made me feel worse as well.
During treatment, Marnie discovered the Leukaemia Foundation. Having access to support groups and resources in one, reliable place was immensely reassuring to Marnie. It gave Marnie the help she needed to navigate different stages her blood cancer journey – including when she began planning to return to work.
After spending months focused on treatment and appointments, the idea getting a job ”freaked her out”. So she connected with Linda, one of the Leukaemia Foundation’s Healthcare Professionals, who helped Marnie navigate her anxieties.
There was a worry that if I was open [about my blood cancer] would I even get a job? It was nice to have someone to put my thoughts at ease and talk through what I should be disclosing when applying for jobs.
Without this support, Marnie believes she would have struggled a lot more.
It definitely helped my mental health so much,” she says. “Having that support when you’re going through the hardest time in your life and being able to access these things without having to worry about the cost behind, it is so helpful.
Thanks to the generosity of people donating to the Leukaemia Foundation, Marnie had access to practical services that helped ease the stresses of blood cancer. It’s now four years since she completed her chemo and while she is doing well, she still has long-term side effects that impact her daily life.
Unfortunately, Marnie’s story is not uncommon.
Blood cancer can’t be screened. It has symptoms that are often mistaken for other conditions and illnesses. This makes it difficult to diagnose in a primary care setting, like at the GP. As a result, 1 in 3 people with blood cancer like Marnie will face delays in getting a timely diagnosis.
Donate to the Leukaemia Foundation today to help ease the burden of blood cancer in Australia. Your tax-deductible gift will ensure more people in regional and rural communities receive the care, connection, and resources they urgently need—just like Marnie did.
