#leukaemia

My family really needs some support right now, and I don’t usually post things like this, but this one hits close to home.

My aunt’s partner, Al, was recently diagnosed with leukaemia. Because the hospital is five hours away from where they live, my aunt needs to find a place to stay nearby while he’s there. That also means taking time off work and facing a lot of unexpected expenses on top of everything else.

If you can help in any way (by donating, sharing, or just sending good thoughts) it would mean the world to us. I’d love for her to have one less thing to worry about so she can focus on being there for him.

Nuclear Leukaemia

The most common genetic fault found associated with the blood cancer acute myeloid leukaemia is a nucleophosmin gene NPM1 mutation. Normal NPM1 activity maintains structures of the cell nucleus called nucleoli, but in NPM1-mutated AML nucleoli are distorted and malfunction, faults which are potential therapeutic targets

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Martin Grundy and colleagues

Translational Medical Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Journal of Cell Science, May 2025

I do still feel that the likelihood now is that I will be single for the rest of my life, which is a harsh prospect at 37... but yesterday I realised there is basically no way anyone, male, female, non-binary etc, will want to start dating me while I have leukemia, it's just 'too much'. And with the leukemia it will never be 'cured' all I can hope for is remission. I do think people who's partners get leukemia would stick by them but I just don't think any new relationships could happen for me. And that makes me sad... because I really wanted to find someone who would love me as loyally as I love them...

But! No point dwelling on something I have no control over! So instead I'll accept that romantic love is over for me, but all the other kinds of love: friendship, family, children, pets - those are still available to me and a huge blessing for me. So I will focus on giving my love in platonic ways out into the world.

I can still daydream about romantic love, but I now know it's just that, a sweet dream that will never be. And I'll be okay.

Unfortunately, we've had some very bad news about my mother's health. Her leukaemia hasn't stopped, and blood transfusions aren't going to be enough to keep her going. Her case is now terminal, and we can't put an estimate on how long she has left. I keep thinking that she was going to defeat cancer for the third time, but that won't be the case. Chemotherapy hasn't destroyed it completely, surgery's literally impossible, and bone marrow transplant isn't an option, as my mother isn't strong enough to handle the treatment.

As you can imagine, this has come as a shock for us. I feel like the reality of it all has just started to sink in. We've had a lot of family members coming to visit us, and it is really nice to have people that I trust over, it can be very tiring, not to mention that our family situation is very, for lack of a better word, complex. I am pleased to have been able to see two of my sisters (although I really only get on with one of my sisters now), my brother and my aunts. I haven't seen my brother in years, and neither has my mother. Everyone was here to support my mother, and I am grateful that she has that support. Both my mother and I have been referred to other services for support.

I don't know how we'll deal with this. Everything is everywhere right now. I just hope that we can get the support we need. I try my best to take care of her, but I don't know how I'll be able to keep caring for her. She usually only needs help with her balance, and sometimes getting around, but I know that she will gradually need more support. I don't know how I can help her. I struggle to care for myself, and I don't know how I can ensure that my mother is doing well.

Hopefully, with time and help, things will become clearer, and we can both be comfortable in this situation. Right now, though, everything is tiring.

I will shave off all my hair this year!

I would appreciate any donations possible but a reblog is just as helpful!

In 2016, my beautiful mum was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Just 4 months later, she passed away. This year will mark the five-year anniversary of her death and the five-year anniversary of my first World's Greatest Shave. 

On 25 June 2021, I will be shaving my head to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation, and to show support for the thousands of Australians who are affected by blood cancers each year. I have personally received assistance from the Leukaemia Foundation and know how invaluable their support is to struggling families.

I hope that you will consider donating, or sharing this post. A little bit goes a long way, and all donations above $2 are tax deductible. To sponsor me, click the link below.

http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/bettinakobelt 

Thank you to everyone for your kindness and support.

The difference cancer makes. Before my leukemia diagnosis and after my chemotherapy.