During 2007 my dad had a sore back, he thought it was just because of work and his bones were out of place, and it was nothing going to the chiropractor couldn’t fix. This pain continued all through the year, and it got to the stage where he decided to go to the doctor because the pain still hadn’t gone away.

The doctor diagnosed him with osteoporosis and gave him medication for that. He was taking the medication for quite a while and didn’t seem to get better, so he got referred to a specialist. 

"Within minutes of being in the specialist room"

he got sent straight to the hospital as the doctor realised it was more than osteoporosis. That same day my dad got diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Leukaemia.

At first, I didn’t have a great deal of a reaction to this because I was so used to dad just always being sick, and didn’t quite understand. It wasn’t until the word ‘cancer’ became involved that I really got the feeling that maybe Dad wasn’t okay.  

"This all happened at the same time we were moving house" 

so it was really hard doing it all without him. The thing that upset me most was how sick he looked and that this fit man that used to play sports with me in the back yard was stuck in a bed, and there was nothing that I could do to help him.

During most of 2008 Dad went through treatment and chemo, lost his hair and had all the gross effects that came with chemo. He had a stem cell transplant from his own stem cells and a donor transplant from his sister who was a perfect match.

"The scariest part of the whole experience"

was when dad had zero immunity and three bugs in his system. This was a point at which he could have died, but didn’t luckily and the doctors still don’t know why. He is just a very lucky man.

At this time I was very confused, as everyone around me was always upset and I had no idea how bad Dad’s condition was, as I was so used to Dad being sick. This was the point at which I felt like there was nothing I could do to help and that I could lose my Dad. I used to get away from it all through dance, volleyball and music.

"Listening to music was, and still is my getaway" 

I used to be really upset, and didn’t really like to share why at school because nobody seemed to understand. I found that the only people that truly understood me were the people that are going through the same experience as me. This is why young people's organisations are so amazing, as you get to hear other people’s story and though it is not exactly the same, they understand why you are upset, confused and even angry sometimes. 

My life has totally transformed since Dad has been diagnosed. I am at a new school, in a new house, have a new job, and have a closer knit family. I am closer to my dad now that we have been through this together.

"Even though I am not the one with cancer"

it has still had a huge effect on me, and a lot of people don’t understand that. Dad is now in remission, and has no cancer cells in him. The cancer can come back at anytime, so he still goes in for monthly treatment.

I think going through this has made me a better person because the little things like a friendship fight or not getting your own way don’t matter. You get to appreciate your life, as you know how easily it can get taken away from you.