When 16-year-old Gemma Gale’s mum Kate was diagnosed with leukaemia, the entire family knew their lives had changed forever.
Looking back two years on, she reflects on the support she received from her local community and the impact blood cancer had on not just her mum – but her entire family.
In 2023, the Gales were like any other regional Victorian family. Gemma was 16 and in her penultimate year of schooling.
“I was living at home with my mum, dad, and older sister Bree who was nearly 18. My life revolved around sport as I was at a sports college and loved playing, coaching and [refereeing] basketball. I was also working at Shayne Reese Swim School as a swimming instructor,” Gemma recalls.
But one day – and one blood test – changed everything for the Gale family.
“My mum woke up one morning with pain in her shoulder. She has a very high pain tolerance, so we knew something wasn’t right.
“Once she arrived at the hospital, they checked her heart as the pain was radiating down her arm, and they suspected she may be having a heart attack.
“They took blood tests and about 45 minutes later, doctors came to tell her that she had leukaemia.”
But before Kate was whisked away to the hospital in the back of an ambulance, she needed to do one last thing – and wasn’t going to leave until she did it.
“She refused to leave before she had seen us girls,” Gemma says. “She needed a hug first! I will never forget walking into the emergency department and looking at my mum.
“She was being so tough, but Bree and I both knew that we were in for a fight and life as we knew it was about to change drastically!”
Living in a regional area made things even tougher for the Gale family. Due to a lack of medical resources in Ballarat, Kate was forced to travel over 100km to the Austin Hospital in northeast Melbourne for the treatment she needed to survive. This left Gemma’s dad, Bob, in a difficult position.
Only 28% of Australians live in regional and remote areas, but they make up 41% of all blood cancer patients like Kate. Limited access to healthcare professionals and services force patients from regional Australia to travel long distances for treatment and care. People living in regional areas are also 17 times more likely to report geographical and financial barriers to care than people living in metropolitan areas.
To be with and support his wife, he would have to leave his two daughters by themselves over 100km away – not knowing when he would return.
“This made things hard on our family, as Dad had to leave us girls at home and stay in Melbourne.
“Imagine your parents walking out the door one morning and not coming home for nearly 3 months, it was tough.”
In the early stages of her mum’s treatment – and with word starting to spread around the community – Gemma recalls not dealing well with the sudden influx of attention.
“I didn’t do well with people crowding me and asking me heaps of questions. I understood that people were worried and only being kind, but it was a constant reminder that I didn’t have my mum, and that she was sick."
But then the power of community began to shine through.
“Our family and friends banded together to help out as much as they could, driving us to work and school,” Gemma says.
“For my work placement I worked one day a week at Fernwood Gym, and the girls there were amazing and started up a food train where people got on an app and put their name down to cook and deliver a meal to us girls.”
But while this support took the load off and made things easier for the sisters, nothing could fill the gaping hole they felt every night at the dinner table.
“It was a reminder of how much we missed Mum and Dad. We missed sitting down at the table to have a meal together. It was very lonely.
“My mum always encouraged me to write down my feelings, even if I do nothing with it. It was a way to get things off my chest, so I would do a lot of writing to help me express what I was going through.”
When hearing about their situation, the Leukaemia Foundation also stepped in to provide further support to the Gale family.
“A social worker at the [Austin Hospital] went to see Mum and Dad and let them know how the Leukaemia Foundation could help out.
“Dad wasn’t leaving Mum’s side and needed to stay in Melbourne, but he couldn’t have done that without the financial help that we received from [the Leukaemia Foundation]. Something he was very grateful for.
The information on the website was also very helpful for Dad. Mum wasn’t in the right headspace to research and understand what type of leukaemia she had, so Dad did all of that and would drip feed information to Mum when the time was right.”
“As much as we missed Mum and Dad, we knew that Dad appreciated being able to be right there every step of the way with Mum,” Gemma recalls.
“If it wasn’t for the Leukaemia Foundation, he wouldn’t have been able to do that. Knowing Dad had peace of mind meant Bree and I could get on with school as best we could.”
After a ‘brutal’ 3 months apart, the Gale family were finally reunited back in Ballarat.
"The feeling of wrapping my arms around my mum was indescribable! Mum, although not out of the woods by a long shot, was finally home. I had my mum back!”
“She's doing great. She’s finished maintenance treatment, and slowly returning to normal life,” Gemma says. “The treatment has taken its toll in some ways, but she is a warrior.
“It’s been a hard battle, and in her words, ‘brutal’, but she has come out the other side, thankfully!”
And it wasn’t just Kate who came out stronger on the other side. Gemma continued to go from strength to strength – and says it’s all because of her mum.
“[In my final year of school] I graduated dux of my class! I guess Mum fighting so hard lit a fire in my belly to put my head down and bum up. I was super proud of myself for graduating, and being top of my class was just an added bonus.
“I have been working full time as an Education Support at a local primary school since leaving school. I love my job."
Gemma often reflects on her family’s experience, and how cancer doesn’t just affect the patient – but everyone around them.
"It is very confronting and scary for everyone,” Gemma says. “To watch someone you love so much go through all the pain emotionally and physically to beat blood cancer is hard.
“We just had to take one day at a time, because no two days were ever the same."
“Leukaemia tried to rip us apart as a family, but it didn’t win. In fact, it brought us closer together and opened our eyes to what is important in life and what should be appreciated. It wasn’t an easy road, and we are still healing, but with the support of the Leukaemia Foundation and all of our family and friends, we are okay.”
Want to help support families like Gemma’s? Join thousands of other Australians and take on the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave to raise funds for blood cancer care.
“My mum has lost her hair twice through no choice of her own. You can choose to shave, cut, or colour your hair and raise money to help those going through treatment and make such a huge difference.
“It’s just hair and it grows back but being able to raise funds that will be used to help families like ours leaves a lasting legacy. And that’s something to be proud of.”
