Young nursing student Dominic Carmody ran down the corridors of the National Capital Hospital Tuesday July 29, sliding on his medical scrubs to oncology, his phone in one hand with a text message from his father Nic and two brothers Liam and Lucas reading - "Mums just got the all clear!" The Carmody family breathed a sigh of relief, the first in six months.
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One of the more difficult things in life are the unknowns, and cancer is a huge unknown. Carlene Carmody, diagnosed in early November 2013 with Stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma, was never going to let it defeat her.
"It is difficult to know how you will react or what you will do if you are ever diagnosed with cancer," Carlene told the Tribune.
"One of the hardest things was telling my parents and children.
"It was difficult to respond straight away because it was like I immediately jumped on this treadmill, sent off to different scans and tests, and after all of this was over the chemo started."
Carlene began her first session of chemotherapy on December 3 last year on fortnightly cycles. She described the changes in how she felt in this two week rotation as difficult. Chemo day was affectionately coined 'Terrible Tuesday' by a friend and it soon became a social outing. A chance to catch-up with friends and do something for herself.
"Every time I had to go in for my chemo treatment I would treat myself to something new, it was what made me feel better and good about myself," she said.
"I embraced the 'cancer' look, which is not for everyone. Some people try to hold onto their hair, but for me I wanted to lose it on my own terms, so I shaved it off. All I kept thinking was the logistics of the mess; I couldn't bear to keep cleaning up all my hair that was falling out."
Carlene's outlook on life has an air of logic, and she is full of simple advice that people don't consider when they receive chemotherapy for the first time.
"Never wear a dress to chemo, your legs go up on the chair, and a dress is not appropriate for the occasion. Consider drawstring or stretchy pants as you may need to use the restrooms and this helps to eliminate the need for assistance."
Put simply her mantra is "do what makes you feel happy".
Being such a social person, Carlene found that one of the hardest things was staying at home all the time, due to the high risk of infection during the six month chemo period.
"Luckily I had such an amazing job where I could work from home. It was good because it really helped in taking my mind off things."
She describes her wonderful boys as being her rocks, Liam 25, taking time off work to come and look after her; Lucas 23, at home giving their father a break when he needed it; and Dominic 21, putting his much appreciated nursing skills into practice.
"And Nic, my husband, well he just did everything."
When asked how it felt to have defeated cancer, she took on the same matter-of-fact look.
"It's easy to say that I defeated cancer, but really it was a team effort, I couldn't have done it without my family and friends. It's a huge thing to know that people love, care and support you, it's hard not to get through something like cancer knowing those kind of people are with you."
Carlene Carmody is now in remission, she now has quarterly check-ups for the next 12 months, and half-yearly and annual check-ups for the next five years. Carlene returned to work in July.
"I believe that surviving cancer has a lot to do with attitude. You have to know that you will be ok, and when the doctor says jump, you say how high. All I did was what I was told, so that I could give myself the best possible chance."
