Karen Fallah's Story
Karen Fallah
Discovering I had cancer was a real shock. I was a busy mother of two, with my daughter doing her HSC at the time. I thought I was healthy, until I found that my iron levels were low when I was donating blood.
I went to the doctor and the next thing I knew I was in hospital and undergoing an operation for stage 3 bowel cancer. This happened in just three days, it was such a shock. Within a week I had gone from thinking I was fine to being operated on to remove the cancer.
Although having to go through chemo and other treatments was really hard, for me the worst thing about cancer was waiting and worrying whether the cancer had spread further around my body or into a major organ.
Having cancer makes you try everything that might help you survive and clinical trials are an amazing opportunity in that way.
After having cancer I look at things differently and I think the experience of having cancer made me stronger. I know that you have to enjoy life and take each day as it comes. My family feels the same now too and we make the most of each day we have together.
At the moment my husband and I are still catching up on the time I lost while I was sick. We’re looking forward to an overseas trip to Europe, The UK, Lebanon and Dubai. We had planned this trip before I was diagnosed and we postponed it while I was undergoing chemo, and it has been three years now and we’re ready to go.
Although having to go through chemo and other treatments was really hard, for me the worst thing about cancer was waiting and worrying whether the cancer had spread further around my body or into a major organ.
Having cancer makes you try everything that might help you survive and clinical trials are an amazing opportunity in that way.
After having cancer I look at things differently and I think the experience of having cancer made me stronger. I know that you have to enjoy life and take each day as it comes. My family feels the same now too and we make the most of each day we have together.
At the moment my husband and I are still catching up on the time I lost while I was sick. We’re looking forward to an overseas trip to Europe, The UK, Lebanon and Dubai. We had planned this trip before I was diagnosed and we postponed it while I was undergoing chemo, and it has been three years now and we’re ready to go.