Serina was fit, healthy, and working full time. One day, in the middle of winter, she felt some unusual pain in her calf muscles as she walked to work. By the time she’d been at work a few hours, she felt so unwell that she needed to go home. So she did a routine blood test at her GP on her way home. That night, she received a call asking her to go to Royal Perth Hospital in the morning, where more blood tests confirmed the diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).

Months in hospital followed, with intravenous chemotherapy in an attempt to achieve remission prior to a stem cell transplant.

Serina’s life has certainly changed since her transplant and she has suffered some quite severe post-transplant issues including graft v. host disease (GvHD).

All in all, Serina has 15 ongoing health issues to deal with, requiring frequent specialist appointments and many medications, most of which have cost a lot of time and money.

Since the transplant, Serina has not been able to return full time to work – “Looking after my body is definitely a full-time job” said Serina.

It has been a struggle financially dealing with the ongoing medical costs, all without being able to work. Fortunately, Arrow was there to support Serina and help towards her daily living costs.

“Arrow has been incredible - I have received petrol vouchers and food vouchers. I am so incredibly grateful. It takes the weight off. When they told me over the phone that I was getting that support, I sighed out loud. It makes such a massive difference.

“And it’s not just the financial support that helps. It is lovely even having a conversation with Arrow Team members as they understand, and I am also sharing my knowledge. This makes me feel very valued as a person.”