Real Life

Real life: I survived cancer and now I’m giving back

I was terrified, lonely and didn't want other kids to be in the same position.
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Maggie Miller, 19, Sunshine Coast, Qld, shares her real life story;

Blinking my eyes open, I saw a fragment of sunshine coming through my bedroom window.

“Argh, my head!” I screamed, blinded by the trickle of light.

I’d been suffering headaches for weeks and it had forced me to miss a lot of school.

I was only 11 and hated not being with my friends, or able to dance and play netball.

Usually, all I wanted to do was be outside playing in the sun.

Now all I could do was sit in a dark, quiet room and sleep it off.

I loved dancing when I was at school.

(Image exclusive to Take 5)

Mum had taken me to loads of doctors who insisted I was fine. But she was persistent and demanded a second opinion.

Finally, one sent me for an MRI scan.

I’m afraid it’s cancer,” the doctor said gravely, reading the results.

They discovered I had grade-four ependymoma and ganglioma. A tumour the size of an orange was sitting on my brain.

I looked at Mum, who had tears streaming down her face, and trembled with fear.

Treatment started right away, and I underwent five surgeries, two rounds of chemotherapy and 35 bouts of radiation.

Mum slept next to me in the hospital every night to keep me company.

After my surgery.

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After six months, the tumour had gone and the doctors said that I was going to be okay.

But I felt far from it. I still suffered short-term memory loss and fatigue.

When I finally returned to school, I was really behind and my friends didn’t want to hang out anymore.

As the months rolled by I felt so alone.

I had no one to turn to, so I spent hours trawling through the internet trying to find a place to talk to people who had gone through the same things as me, but there was nowhere.

Me and my boyfriend, Tom.

(Image exclusive to Take 5)

Suddenly, I had an idea: what if I made my own website for young people who had been affected by cancer?

I got busy and launched The Cancer Talk Foundation and was thrilled to hear from so many others who’d had similar experiences to mine.

I wish I’d never had to go through cancer, but I’m so glad I’m doing something to help remind others that they aren’t alone.

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