FEBRUARY 20, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
(Marco De Luca)
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Mum fights for a future An Altona Meadows woman is among the one in a million diagnosed with a rare cancer of the glands that produce adrenaline. Celeste Ryan, a 36-year-old mother of two young girls, is trying to raise funds for others while battling the disease known as adrenal cortical carcinoma. “It was found by accident, which is why they’re hoping that I’m going to have a fighting chance,” she said. “Normally, by the time the tumor is found, it’s stage four and has already spread to other parts of the body. “This was found, luckily for me, because I have ovarian cysts that get monitored every six months.
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“In the previous 12 months, I had lost both of my parents within six months of each other, and all I kept thinking was that soon I would be joining them.” - Celeste Ryan In June, Ms Ryan underwent surgery to remove one adrenal gland and in August she “It was during a routine ultrasound that they started oral chemotherapy. But by December the cancer had spread, found a mass growing in my adrenal glands.” Ms Ryan said that when she heard the requiring surgery last month to remove a diagnosis, the room started spinning and she kidney and two nodules from her diaphragm. “We’re trying to keep it at bay at this point,” felt like passing out. “You automatically think your time is up and Ms Ryan said. “[Wednesday] morning I had a meeting with your babies are going to grow up without you,” the clinical trial board at Peter Mac to see if I she said. “There are no words to explain the can get approved for a clinical trial for some roller-coaster of emotions you go through medication. That is an immunotherapy, so it’s … shock, anger and sadness are the biggest about boosting my own immune system so it can fight the cancer cells itself. emotions, which I feel consume me 24/7.
We’re trying to keep it at bay at this point
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“At the moment, I don’t qualify for that so it’s just waiting to see if later down the track I do. “If I don’t make it on to this trial and it is something that I have to pay for, it is $70,000.” A “Help us raise funds for Adrenal Cortical Cancer” GoFundMe campaign by Ms Ryan’s family has raised $13,375 towards a $20,000 goal for urgent surgery and to support research by Sydney University’s endocrine surgery unit. Ms Ryan and her family members will climb Mount Kosciuszko on March 2 to raise funds for Rare Cancers Australia. Members of the community are invited to attend a family fundraising event on Saturday, February 23, from 11am-3pm at Hobsons Bay Sport and Game Fishing Club in Altona. Follow “Celeste’s journey through ACC” on Facebook.
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By Goya Dmytryshchak