Kerry is a proud Brinja-Yuin woman, educator and social researcher. After prevailing through her own challenging journey with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Karen has emerged as a source of hope and strength. Meanwhile, Boyenga herself was diagnosed with cancer in June 2017. Since then, he has been on quite the journey including unexplained weight loss and vision problems. Despite these challenges, she has remained in remission for seven-and-a-half years and continues to inspire others with her story today.
These troubling signs first appeared for Boyenga in December 2016. Over the next months, she suffered extreme weight loss, going from 90 kilos to 63 kilos. She experienced other health complications, such as blindness in her left eye as well as cardiac arrest. By the time she was diagnosed, her cancer had already developed into stage 2.
“My symptoms included swollen glands and a feeling that something was wrong,” Boyenga recalled. Working with a vague sense of unease, it was not until June 2017 that it was definitively diagnosed. A long time passed before anyone even still took it seriously. I completely understand that.
From diagnosis to treatment, her journey was plagued by delays. Boyenga largely credits her recovery to the unwavering support of her family, friends and colleagues.
“I think that’s because of the support that I had with my family, my husband, most importantly, and my son,” she shared. “My colleagues at the Catholic school cooked all of our meals because I couldn’t do anything and I certainly wasn’t eating.”
Though she is in remission, Boyenga continues to deal with the physical, psychological, and financial effects of her disease. The road to recovery hasn’t been smooth, but she is still thankful for the time she’s purchased.
I have had no sign of illness in remission for seven-and-a-half years. So now I’m going into my eighth year, she said. It can come back. It may not. Well, hello there flush down toilet. Aside from the miracle of still being alive, I’ve been granted many more years than I fully expected it would last.
Bill Stavreski of health nonprofit Vital Strategies underscores the need to raise awareness of symptoms associated with blood cancer. He adds that the unexplained loss of weight is the one that seems to scream out the most as a key red flag. “If you are losing weight but not changing your diet or exercising, that is a tell-tale sign of a possible blood cancer,” he explained.
Stavreski appeals to people to go to frontline health facilities early enough, cautioning that late presentation could greatly affect their chances of survival.
“It’s important to take action quickly and go see your doctor,” he stated. “Delaying seeing your doctor will mean delaying diagnosis and delaying treatment.”
As overall survival rates for kids with cancer are rising due to advancements in cancer treatment, adults are being left behind. Flinders University’s Professor Ian Olver said that further research would be needed to develop more effective treatments for adult cancers.
I know what you mean. Well, at least on the childhood leukaemia front, treatments have made tremendous advances in the past decades, Olver noted. Not quite so well with adults, but we’re starting to improve the treatments. There is potential to cure these diseases will be greater.
Boyenga’s story is still an inspiring testament to the power of the human spirit in rising above challenges. She has emerged victorious from her war with cancer. Teaching Dhurga, the Indigenous language of her ancestors, is now her life’s work, as is inspiring others through the written word with her remarkable story.
Through her journey, she has become an advocate for awareness about blood cancer symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis.
