Category: Patient Stories
“Today of all days, Jen.” It had taken quite a bit of to-and-fro to arrange a time to speak with Des. He’s a busy man: playing golf, catching up with friends, enjoying concerts, and back in full time work after…
Unless you’ve been through it, you probably don’t really understand the impact losing hair can have on a cancer patient. Losing your hair is a visible sign of illness and can trigger all sorts of unwanted responses from well- meaning…
Of all the hardships that cancer patients endure, losing their hair is often the thing that people tell us is one of the hardest to take. It’s such a visible manifestation of the treatment they’re going through, and it screams…
Making a splash 38-years post bone marrow transplantation Camaraderie, commitment and courage are three words that come to Lisa Cuthbertson’s mind when she talks about the World Transplant Games, recently held in Perth, Western Australia, 15-21 April 2023. “Camaraderie…
Lismore is doing it tough. First the COVID pandemic, and then the devastating floods just over a year ago now, the effects of which are continuing to be felt throughout the community. During these difficult times, people of Lismore and…
Robyn (Robbie) Canner was a single mum with little support around her when her son Scott was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “It was a tough time,” Robbie says. “Everything happens so fast with this disease. We got the diagnosis, Scott…
By the age of seventeen, Brooke Hides was slipping out of school at lunch time. Most teenagers spend their time going to school, doing homework, maybe going to a part time job and playing sport. If they wag school, it’s…
On the 21st March 2015, Kylie Smith, mum to Sophie and Hailey posted on her Facebook timeline: “Sophie has been diagnosed with Chronic Granulomatous Disorder (CGD). This is a rare inherited disorder, so Hailey is being tested on Thursday. This…
It seems like just the other day we were catching up with Barrie Beck having a chat with him about his life and what he had been up to since his days at Arrow. So it was with great sadness…
It was soon after the birth of her second child that Emma’s unusually high platelet count was noticed for the first time, and just 2 months later she was told she had Essential Thrombocythemia, usually diagnosed in people much older…
Bills. Rates notices. Junk mail. That’s the kind of mail we all deal with every day. This, though. THIS is not your everyday kind of mail, and it’s the kind of mail we love here at Arrow. This is the…
Losing your hair is one of the most common worries for people facing chemotherapy treatment. The Tracey Scone Wig Library has been a long time support for chemotherapy patients, but the lock-downs during the worst of the COVID pandemic saw…
Arrow has donated a cannula machine to St Vincent’s Hospital to reduce the stress and anxiety of receiving a cannulation. This new ultrasound machine helps nurses find a patient’s vein and get the intravenous cannula in on the first go. …
Patients at St Vincent’s Hospital will enjoy greater comfort thanks to Arrow’s donation of a brand new tender loving chair. This specialised care chair for patients on the haematology and bone marrow transplant (BMT) ward has electronically adjustable height, back…
Sophie and Hailey are identical twins and the best of friends. Both diagnosed with an inherited immune deficiency at three years of age, the girls have faced significant health challenges throughout their nine years of life. The biggest challenge of…
The inaugural meeting of what was then known as the Australian Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation (ABMTF) was held on 25 February 1987. Some 35 years later, we talk to one of Arrow’s founding members Barrie Beck, who underwent a bone…
Each year in Australia approximately 150 children under the age of 16 receive a haematopoietic stem cell transplant. Receiving treatment at one of the specialist Children’s Hospitals across the country, the families of these children face significant financial and logistical…
Arrow’s Tracey Scone Wig Library was established in 2000 and has helped hundreds of patients who have suffered hair loss due to chemotherapy. The loan of a wig has provided patients with a much needed boost to their confidence and…
“Care, warmth, and love” are three words that come to mind when young bone marrow transplant recipient Frank Li (pictured left) describes the sponsorship of Arrow’s grocery card initiative by Independent Grocers of Australia (IGA). And that is exactly what…
For patients undergoing bone marrow transplants the costs associated with travel can be significant. Rosemary, a social worker on the frontline with patients, explains that “by the time they (patients) get to having a transplant, after a lengthy and usually…