When Melanie Smiley’s husband Tim was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 she didn’t know who to turn to.
The mum from Manor Lakes said she sometimes found it difficult to voice her fears to family and friends.
“Everyone would say, ‘hey Mel, be strong for Tim and the kids,’ and i’m like ‘but who’s strong for me?’,” Melanie said.
“[The doctors] didn’t give us any support material or anything like that, and a friend of mine who works with the Salvation Army in Wyndham, I remember speaking to her and I said ‘I don’t know what to do’ and she said, ‘i’m coming to your house’.”
Melanie’s friend brought her a bag of pamphlets from the Cancer Council and the two perused through information about the assistance available.
“I came across the helpline, and that was the first call I made,” Melanie said.
“They were like godsends because it’s hard, you don’t know what the future holds and so they guided me through the different support services they have.”
After Tim underwent chemotherapy and radiation, Melanie decided it was important for her to give back because she knew how it felt to be on the other end of the helpline.
“I just went on the website to have a look at what I can do to help so I came across relay and I thought it looked like fun,” Melanie said.
The relay for life is a Cancer Council initiative that involves teams walking laps around a track to raise funds for people impacted by cancer.
Melanie and Tim’s three kids get involved, as well as their friends, family and colleagues.
Tim’s type of cancer is too rare for doctors to ever say he’s in remission, but Melanie says he’s doing really well.
“He’s actually the unit controller of the Wyndham SES unit and he also is a team member for the local CFA,” Melanie said.
“He has treated this like it’s a second lease on life, his love of helping people is just phenomenal.”
A few years ago, Melanie was diagnosed with lymphadenopathy and sjögren’s syndrome and doctor’s informed her she would likely develop lymphoma in the future.
“Hearing that you get kind of really upset and scared, but because I know of all the research that happens and there’s so many support services through Cancer Council, I’m not scared of it,” Melanie said.
“Had they said this to me without going through what my husband’s been through, I’d be a mess, but I’m not because I know that we will be okay.”
Relay for life will take place on Victoria University Wyndham Sporting Complex at 11am, Saturday, April 30.
