And it’s a gift that you can help us give.
“The RBWH has saved my life many, many times,” Jodie said.
Her daughters were aged just four and two when Jodie’s world came crashing down. At many points, it seemed unlikely that she would live to see them grow up.
“Without all of the chemo and radiation that I have had - to the count of 93 doses - there is no way I'd be here.
“My bone marrow transplant actually took place at Christmas, so Santa came to visit me, even with tubes and machines all around me.”
It was early September 2005 when Jodie began experiencing troubling symptoms. Despite seeking help from numerous health professionals, it wasn’t until a year later - 29 September 2006 – that a visit to the Emergency Department at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) revealed a devastating diagnosis.
Follicular B-Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stage 4.
“I recall grabbing the young doctor’s shirt in panic and said to her 'please, please do everything to save my life - I have two small children who need their mum, and I just can't die. I need to be here for my kids',” Jodie said.
It’s thanks to those doctors, and generations of researchers before them, that Jodie is here and able to share her story.
“Medical research is everything,” she said. “I didn't understand the importance until I became ill myself.
“Every single chemotherapy drug and radiation dose has been subject to medical research and clinical trials before it got to me and was flushed through my veins or buzzed through my tumours.
“Medical research is really about family - keeping families together and keeping loved ones alive a lot longer, because cancer cells are getting smarter, every single day.”
This year, the RBWH Foundation’s Christmas Appeal is all about giving patients, like Jodie, more of those all-important moments with the ones they love.
As Jodie continues to live with the impact of cancer and the rigours of treatment, she is calling on the Queensland community to step up and donate – to give the gift of a future.
“There is just not enough in the public coffers to fund everything, so to supplement the research that might, one day, save your own life, we need kind, empathetic and caring community members to come forward.”
And in coming forward together, we can give hope.
Jodie’s story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when research, care, and community come together, but she’s not the only mum who owes her life to the incredible work happening at RBWH.
This Christmas, you’ll also meet Ellie, another courageous mother whose world was turned upside down, and then rebuilt, thanks to lifesaving treatment and medical research. With your support, we can continue giving mums like Jodie and Ellie the greatest gift of all: more time with the ones they love.
