Bouncing back after lymphoma
Olwyn is a Melbourne-based grandmother who likes to be in the thick of things. From her home in Melbourne’s inner north, she’s busy entertaining at home, visiting art galleries and meeting friends out for dinner.
So when she was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2012, it was a huge shock to her.
“The diagnosis came completely out of the blue. I’d been feeling a little under the weather and saw my doctor. I thought it would just be a persistant cold or something.”
The months that followed her diagnosis were tough, and Olwyn lost all her hair in the course of her treatment.
“I’m a very social creature, and the cancer and treatment limited how much I could meet up with friends and they were an important part of getting well.”
“Another important part of getting well was getting the right treatment – and that’s where pathology comes in. I had all sorts of tests, both at diagnosis and throughout treatment, to make sure I was progressing. My doctor would tweak my therapy depending on what the results showed. I know how reliant he was on those results.”
“In the end all I can say is here I am. I’ve been cancer-free for two years and my hair has grown back really soft and amazingly – curly! I wouldn’t be here without getting the best treatment, fast. So it follows that I wouldn’t be without pathology.”
