Sharon

My world changed forever on August 3 2004. I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma at the age of 38. I had 2 kids who were 10 and 12 and a partner who was just devastated. I had just finished 6 years of a bitter battle in the Family Court and had just been promoted at my place of employment. Life was great. Then it all came crashing down. I try not to think of that time in my life too often, it is painful and something I have left in the past. Put simply I was deemed inoperable and unable to have radiotherapy. Chemotherapy was my only option, so I went with it.

I was hospitalised for a week with an infection and had several blood transfusions. At the end of my treatment, my tumour had shrunk and I was looking forward to the next 3 months of living my life without visiting the hospital.

I applied to the Family Court to take my kids to Canada and L.A. After having to prove I wasn't going to drop dead that quickly, the judge allowed us to go for 6 weeks. We went to Disneyland and spent most of the time with my partner's family in Canada . Upon our return I had a scan and our world fell apart again. My cancer had progressed to the point that both my lungs looked as though they were full of snow. I had hundreds of new nodules and chemotherapy had been deemed a failure. By now it was April 05 and I was offered the opportunity to be a part of a clinical trial for Tarceva.

Amazingly I have been on Tarceva since then, it is still working for me. My lungs no longer resemble a snow storm and my primary tumour has halved in size. It really has been a miracle drug for me, by rights I shouldn't even be here to tell my story. The side effects have been a real test of my patience some of the time, but when I consider the alternative, they are nothing but a small inconvenience. I have learnt to live with my rash, it is a part of me now. Tarceva has given me my life back and has allowed me to watch my children become teenagers. I am more active than I ever have been and I make sure I am kept busy in some way. I have been able to travel and to garden which keeps me happy. I just dug a huge hole in my garden in preparation for a lawn, it was just me and a shovel .

I am proud of what I can do now. I am on the go constantly, nobody would ever know I have this insidious disease. Maybe one day that will change, but for now I live life like never before. I even dare to make plans for the future, I wouldn't allow myself to even dream of doing that in the beginning of this fight.

My partner and I have been through so many hurdles together, but this has made us stronger and more determined. I want to see my children grow into adults and I believe I have that right.