‘Unfair’: Mum-of-two Caroline Nunan’s cruel double diagnosis

Just after Mount Barker mum-of-two Caroline Nunan finally beat cancer she found out she had an incurable condition.

Caroline Nunan has been battling multiple sclerosis since she was 30 and now is seeking to have experimental stem cell treatment. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Caroline Nunan said for her 18th birthday she received cancer.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Ms Nunan underwent intense treatment for months.

“I went into remission for the seven years … at 28 I was cured,” the Mount Barker woman told The Advertiser.

“And then at 30, I got MS.”

When Ms Nunan, now 44, was told she had multiple sclerosis (‘MS’), she was scared.

“I didn’t really understand what MS was, I’d heard of the MS read-a-thon, but I didn’t know much else about it,” she said.

Caroline Nunan is fighting her latest health battle for her kids. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Having fought and beat cancer only to receive a diagnosis of MS felt “unfair” to Ms Nunan but the loving mum-of-two said she’d fight anything if it meant her kids are okay.

“I’ve got friends who have lost their children and I don’t know how they deal with that, I find my story is nowhere near as bad as what others go through,” she said.

Ms Nunan’s two sons Jayden, 17 and Jesse, 15, who she shares with husband Simon Nunan, have grown up with their mum having MS.

“They’ve pretty much known me like this forever which is yucky,” Ms Nunan said.

“They’re lucky their dad, my husband, he’s been really good and did activities with them and played with them when they were younger … so they didn’t miss out.”

Caroline with her sons Jayden, 17 and Jesse, 15 and husband, Simon. Picture: GoFundMe

Ms Nunan said she discovered she had MS after having issues with her eyes.

“I was getting black spots and I couldn’t see properly,” she said.

She visited an optometrist, an eye specialist, then a neurologist who confirmed she had MS.

At first, it was her vision that was affected, then slowly her mobility began to deteriorate.

“I can no longer walk very far, maybe maximum 100 metres, so I walk around the house with a walker but outside I’m in a wheelchair,” she said.

The mum-of-two said she also dealt with incontinence and swallowing issues.

“I’ve even had steak stuck in my throat before and had to get an endoscopy to get that out,” she said.

Caroline will fly to Mumbai, India to undergo stem cell treatment for her MS. Picture: GoFundMe

She also said nerve pain and fatigue made the disease difficult to live with.

“Sometimes you’re sitting at the table and you just fall asleep,” she said.

Ms Nunan said she had undergone “every treatment available in Australia” and while they have stopped anymore lesions from occurring, it has not halted the progression of her existing lesions.

“I don’t want to be wheelchair bound,” she said.

This inspired Ms Nunan to seek treatment options overseas.

She discovered a stem cell treatment option in Mumbai, India, which she said was specific for MS patients.

She said, it would cost $80,000 including airfares there and for the treatment.

“The aim of it is to halt my progression,” she said.

“Currently, I can still stand and I can still walk a little bit and as long as I can keep doing that, that’s the aim.”

If you want to donate to Ms Nunan, you can here.

Originally published as ‘Unfair’: Mum-of-two Caroline Nunan’s cruel double diagnosis