Category: Patient Stories

“How are you doing today?” It’s an innocuous question for most of us, something we ask often without really listening to the answer. But hardship can happen to anyone. “I’ll tell you on Tuesday,” was the answer I got when I asked this of Josee. Tuesday is the day Josee and her husband Joseph will […]

“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 treatment for multiple myeloma. In short, living life to the full. But the day we […]

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 people. However, a wig can help people suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatment […]

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 “I have cancer!” to the patient and to everyone they meet. It’s for this reason […]

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 because everyone there has had a second chance at life and so many memorable moments […]

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 the Northern Rivers region have still been diagnosed with cancer, and have still needed chemotherapy. […]

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 went into hospital to begin treatment, and he never came home.” The two years between […]

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 because the surf was good that day and sneaking in a wave or two seemed […]

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 explains why she gets sick so often.” Eight years later, and both girls are back […]

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 that we heard the news from Barrie’s twin sister Evelyne that Barrie passed away 22nd […]

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 than Emma.  Here’s Emma’s story:    Can you tell me, Emma, how you were first […]

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 card that Raf sent. Raf is seven, a paediatric bone marrow transplant recipient, and has […]