'I found out I had cancer after a fertility test'
Sydney woman Hannah was planning her dream wedding when she was shocked by a sinister diagnosis. Now her family is raising money to get her to Singapore for potentially life-saving treatment.
Family Life
Don't miss out on the headlines from Family Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The loved ones of a Sydney woman have raised more than $140,000 after a fertility test revealed a horrifying discovery.
Hannah Thomas had just turned 30 when she took a fertility test last March.
7News reported she was in the midst of planning her dream wedding with her now husband, Simon, when things took a turn.
Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.
After a fertility test found that she had swollen lymph nodes Hannah was quickly sent to St Vincent's hospital to undergo chemotherapy.
Further testing had revealed she had an aggressive blood cancer known as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
RELATED: 'My wish is to raise money so other sick kids can have their wishes'
"It was obviously concerning"
Hannah had been called back in to see the doctor within the same afternoon prior to the diagnosis.
“So, it was obviously concerning, but we are glass-half-full kind of people so we weren’t too worried,” she told 7News.
She spent two months in St Vincent's hospital to battle the cancer, managing to pull off her dream wedding after the treatment concluded.
“It was such a lovely time for us to all come together,” Hannah said.
“In your bridal dreams you always want your husband to cry but that day all our bridal party teared up when I walked down the aisle … so it was honestly beyond magical.
“For once, my day was filled with happy tears.”
RELATED: 'My baby looked pregnant but doctors said babies don't get cancer'
"Friends gave me the courage to fight"
Prior to the wedding she had a “shave day” in a park with her loved ones.
Some even shaved their own heads.
“That really gave me the courage to be able to do it myself,” Hannah said.
“And it gave our friends a chance to be there with us and do something for us in a situation when no one knew what to do.”
Afterwards, her friends made a wig for her out of her shaved off hair, which she was able to wear on her special day.
RELATED: Macie was irritable, tired - but I kept chalking it up to pandemic blues
"It's scary to have to leave the country for treatment"
However, things took a downward turn once again, and Hannah had to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
Just two months later, though, the cancer returned.
Now, one of her only remaining options is a clinical trial in Singapore.
“It feels really scary to have to leave the country for treatment,” she said.
“Because all our support networks are here.”
However, the treatment is set to cost $400,000.
RELATED: 'If we’d put our girl on that plane, she would have died'
"She's faced every challenge with a smile"
A close friend of Hannah has set up a Go Fund Me page to help raise money for her treatment.
“Anyone who knows Hannah knows she is an absolute saint, a best friend to many of us, a wonderful wife to Simon, a daughter, a sister, an aunty and a superhuman who has faced every challenge with a smile,” the Go Fund Me page, organised by Daniel Lewis, reads.
“Over the past 19 months, Hannah has undergone gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a full bone marrow transplant and follow-up infusions.
“Unfortunately, after all that, her Leukaemia has returned.”
He added that the couple had applied for the Medical Treatment Overseas Program but were rejected as they don’t cover clinical trials.
“I’m hoping we can spread this far and wide so we can pull together to help Hannah raise the funds needed to travel to Singapore.
“Every dollar will bring us one step closer to Hannah getting the treatment she so desperately needs,” he wrote.
RELATED: Wife diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease after losing husband to leukaemia
"We have been blown away by the generosity"
In a bid to help raise funds, Lewis will be taking part in an 80km Manly to Bondi coastal walk in two weeks.
Hannah's sister will also be running a half marathon to raise money.
So far the fund is sitting at just over $140,000, just over a quarter of the $400,000 target.
“We have just been so blown away by all the generosity from people helping us, from friends to strangers and people we went to school with or worked with,” she told 7News.
“We are just eternally grateful for everyone who has donated and helped us get this potentially lifesaving treatment.”
She added that despite her situation, the support she’s received from loved ones has filled her with comfort and hope.
“Even though we are really devastated and really scared it fills you with so much hope having so many people believing that I can do it,” she said.
Hannah’s Go Fund Me page can be found here, with almost $259,000 left in the target.
More Coverage
Originally published as 'I found out I had cancer after a fertility test'
My fiance’s ex is angry I threw a party for her son
“She flipped out and said that her son deserves his own birthday party…”
Husband and wife have a pact to split when kid turns 16
On the surface, the marriage between Anna and Jack looks picture-perfect. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see that not everything is as it seems.