Colleen Taylor was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on the day of her partner Julie’s graduation.
“I was receiving treatment for osteoporosis, when I had a fall and fractured my sternum” said Colleen. “I asked my doctor if that meant that my medication wasn’t working, and she ran some blood tests to see if there were any underlying problems”.
“We were in Auckland for Julie’s graduation when I took the call. I decided to wait until the next day to tell Julie, as I didn’t want anything to spoil her special day – she had worked so hard for it”
Myeloma (also known as multiple myeloma or plasma cell myeloma) is a cancer of the plasma cells that usually arise in the bone marrow. In the early stages there may be no symptoms, and myeloma may be detected by coincidence during a routine blood test, as was the case with Colleen.
“My GP told me that while there was no cure for myeloma, there are treatments that can help with the progression of the disease” said Colleen.
“When Colleen told me that she had blood cancer there was a lot of crying” said partner Julie. “Living in a rural area, we felt very isolated, and got in touch with LBC to register for local support groups and connect with others going through something similar”.
Colleen’s treatment included chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. It was during her course of chemotherapy that Colleen began to lose her hair. In solidarity, Julie organised a Shave for a Cure event with colleagues at the school where she is a teacher, in December 2015.
“Even though you are there with your loved one on their cancer journey, sometimes you can feel so useless,” said Julie. “You try to act normal, but it’s so hard knowing that there is nothing that you can do to make them well again”
“Knowing there was nothing I could do about Colleen’s actual illness, I wanted to raise awareness and fundraise for LBC to make sure that their services are there for everyone who needs them. It’s also important to me that funding is available for research into better treatments and even a cure one day”
Colleen and Julie kindly shared their story, and Julie ‘braved the shave’ once again to help raise awareness for Shave for a Cure 2019.
Find out more about Shave for a Cure at http://www.shaveforacure.co.nz