When Jennifer Goedhart-Sawyer broke her arm in July last year after simply bending down to pick up a bottle, she knew something was horribly wrong.
The Melton grandmother was right.
Numerous blood tests and X-rays showed Ms Goedhart-Sawyer, 53, had myeloma – a type of bone marrow cancer arising from plasma cells, which are normally found in bone marrow.
The disability worker said she was shocked when she received the diagnosis. Apart from being abnormally fatigued in the months leading up to the incident, she had no other symptoms.
“No one wants to think it’s cancer – I was shocked, I didn’t expect it,” she said.
Ms Goedhart-Sawyer (pictured) immediately underwent treatment, including chemotherapy, frequent injections and a white-stem cell transplant. Ms Goedhart-Sawyer said recent blood results had been positive.
“I couldn’t walk to the post box without being exhausted,” she said. “My family took it worse than I did, so I would always say I was doing well – I had to be strong for them. I thought, if I can’t teach my daughters to get through the negatives in life, then who will?”
Ms Goedhart-Sawyer said she remained remarkably peaceful throughout the whole experience and took comfort in her faith.
“It has been long and gruelling but I now have things to look forward to,” she said.
She urged those who had any concerns about their health to visit a doctor immediately and reminded people to enjoy life to the fullest.
“People may not think that going for a coffee at the local shops is fun,” she said. “But when you can’t even empty the dishwasher without getting tired, everything is fun.”
