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.
“It was during a routine ultrasound that they found a mass growing in my adrenal glands.”
Ms Ryan said that when she heard the diagnosis, the room started spinning and she felt like passing out.
“You automatically think your time is up and your babies are going to grow up without you,” she said.
“There are no words to explain the roller-coaster of emotions you go through … shock, anger and sadness are the biggest emotions, which I feel consume me 24/7.
“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.”
In June, Ms Ryan underwent surgery to remove one adrenal gland and in August she started oral chemotherapy.
But by December the cancer had spread, requiring surgery last month to remove a kidney and two nodules from her diaphragm.
“We’re trying to keep it at bay at this point,” Ms Ryan said.
“[Wednesday] morning I had a meeting with the clinical trial board at Peter Mac to see if I can get approved for a clinical trial for some medication. That is an immunotherapy, so it’s about boosting my own immune system so it can fight the cancer cells itself.
“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.
