Harry shares in conversation how he valued working and how it was essential to his recovery to remain committed to challenging his mind. He also shares the importance of good relationships and how he relied on these in his recovery. 

Lisa Smith is the CEO of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR). ABMDR is the only organisation in Australia responsible for arranging bone marrow/blood stem cell donations for patients needing a transplant. ABMDR also administers government funding of public cord blood banks in Australia. 

Lisa shares in this podcast the purpose of ABMDR and her passion for this area.

LIVE  NOW:  Strength to Give: Swab your cheek. Send it back. Save a life. 

If you're 18-35, head to Strengthtogive.org.au to order your cheek swab kit and register as a potential Stem cell donor.

Every person on the Strength to Give registry has the potential to save a critically ill patient from blood cancer #strengthinnumbers #strength2give #bloodcancer

https://strengthtogive.org.au/

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Carmel Woodrow has been in nursing for over 40 years, with 30 of those years spent in haematology. 

Now working as a Clinical Nurse Consultant, Carmel focuses mainly on myeloma and amyloidosis patients.

The Leukaemia Foundation offers a range of services. Click below to read more.

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Jennifer Marx shares insight into being diagnosed with myeloma at almost 27 years old - a condition far more prevalent in older people. 

Jennifer shares how she navigated the healthcare system, managed treatment and relationships, and her experience having two autologous transplants.

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In May 2020, Fiona was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Also known as MDS, it is a type of blood cancer that affects the production of normal blood cells in the bone marrow.

Fiona shares what it was like to be diagnosed with a rare blood disease as a mother of five, wife and nurse, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fiona has since participated in the World's Greatest Shave and raised over $8,000.

Listen to her story.

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As 2022 draws to a close, our hosts Kate, Maryanne and Vanessa reflect on the past year and all the wonderful guests who have shared their stories for Season Two of Talking Blood Cancer.

Stay tuned for Season Three in the coming months.

Did you enjoy listening? We're always looking to improve our podcast so we'd love your feedback. Follow this link to answer our short survey.

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Living in regional NSW as a cattle farmer, Regina Batten noticed she was becoming increasingly fatigued. It was a week before her wedding however, so a blood cancer diagnosis was the last thing on her mind. After a visit to the doctor and some blood tests, it wasn't long before Regina was told the news - she had acute myeloid leukaemia.

Regina was rushed to hospital in Sydney where she had chemotherapy, radiation, a relapse and a double-chord stem cell transplant. 

An honest and raw discussion, Regina talks openly about how blood cancer impacted her relationships.

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In this episode, Kate speaks with Ping, whose daughter Zoe was diagnosed with infant pre B-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at just 5 weeks old. 

Zoe is now nearly 5 years old and is in remission and at school. Zoe's mother, Ping, shares what it was like to walk the blood cancer journey with a child so young, and how the family travelled around the world to save Zoe's life. 

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Michael Bowen was 33 years old and living in Sydney when one morning, as he was driving to work, he received a phone call that would stop his fast paced life in its tracks. Michael received a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

In this conversation, Michael talks about the bouts of depression he came up against and how he was able to overcome these hard times.

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Vicky Pellowe was just 29 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Vicky and her husband had only been married six months, both working long hours as FIFO workers in Western Australia. 

Vicky speaks about the shock of mental recovery post treatment - how to try and remain positive while experiencing fear of relapse, side effects, potential infertility, body changes and loss of employment or finances. She also speaks about the journey into motherhood and how she was blessed with two miracle babies post treatment, without IVF.

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