Spending Christmas in hospital was not something Darwin local Mathew Robertson wanted, but it saved his life.
In 2023, Mr Robertson spent the holiday season bedridden, undergoing and recovering from a bone-marrow transplant after suffering leukaemia.
But with a new lease on life he couldn’t wait to decorate the tree and hang his Christmas lights this year.
Born and raised in Darwin, Mr Robertson shipped out to spend his university years in Queensland, training to be a dentist.
Mr Richardson returned to Darwin after to work as a dentist, and it was how well things were going at work that ended up defining his life.
“I was increasing my income insurance; I took it out when I first graduated and then after a few years you earn more so I thought it was about time I increased that just in case anything happened,” he said.
“Ironically, I had to get my blood pressure taken and all these kinds of things because when there’s a higher amount [of insurance] that’s what they request.”
Mr Richardson visited his doctor who suggested conducting a full blood count while he was there.
“I did the full blood count and he messaged me the next day saying there was a high level of something in my blood and to come and have a chat and they were going to do some more tests,” he said.
“I went and met with him the next day and I asked, ‘what’s high?’, and he showed me the results and that’s when I was like ‘That looks like leukaemia’.
“I did another test and the next day I was at work, feeling normal, besides being anxious about what I was about to find out, and then a haematologist at the hospital called me and said I needed to go to the hospital right away.
“I packed up my day, not knowing what was ahead, I went straight to the hospital and got told I’d been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and was going to be spending the next eight or nine months having chemotherapy.”
Mr Robertson first went into hospital on March 6, 2022 and was in-and-out for nearly a year undergoing chemotherapy.
A bone-marrow transplant was proposed as the most likely cure for Mr Robertson, but after doing some research himself and being offered by doctors, his first choice was to try alternative medications after chemotherapy.
“I tried the medication which worked at first, but my blood cells changed; the drug wasn’t effective anymore and the leukaemia came back within six months,” he said.
“We knew it was straight to transplant … so it wasn’t a crazy shock as much as I didn’t want to do it.
“I worked up until August 2023 then made the trip to Sydney, Westmead Hospital, to start the bone-marrow transplant.
“I was allowed one week before my actual admission date but I unfortunately got an infection so I had to spend my last week of freedom in hospital, all before my treatments.”
On December 6 last year, Mr Robertson went back into Westmead Hospital before getting a bone-marrow transplant on December 15.
Mr Robertson and his wife, Ebony, spent Christmas in hospital.
“In Westmead, my wife wasn’t allowed to stay overnight with me but she was allowed to be there, so she’d have to go home every day, and for us, it was pretty tough,” he said.
“Spending Christmas in hospital with her – and she’s big on Christmas too with her family and that – it was pretty miserable to see me in that state.”
But things were looking up for the pair, as Mr Robertson made a recovery and was officially allowed out of the hospital on January 11, 2024 – Mrs Robertson’s birthday.
“We were ecstatic,” Mr Robertson said.
“We didn’t expect it, we thought we were a couple of days off.
“She was so happy, we didn’t get to do anything, we just got to go home but after being in hospital for a month and a half, it was just so nice; we were very, very happy.”
Staying positive, and with a gleaming smile on his face, Mr Robertson said it was partly his attitude that got him through to the other side.
“The lowest of lows you’d imagine is being told you’ve got leukaemia, and that you’re going to be spending the next two weeks in hospital straight away, without having anything packed, without even knowing what’s ahead, that’s pretty scary as a 32-year-old at the time,” he said.
“But to find out I have to have a bone-marrow transplant because all the chemo was essentially a waste of time, knowing I’d have to go through it all again – probably even worse – that’s really tough.
“But I never looked at [the situation] as a negative, I always try to get through it because there’s no point living in fear, but now, now I’m so grateful, I’ve got a whole new lease on life.
“Someone from Germany was so, so awesome to donate their stem cells for me, I’m just so grateful for them, they saved my life.
“And now I’ve got my life back, and I’m grateful I don’t have any side effects, I don’t have any medications anymore, I’m pretty much where I was before.
“I’ve got through it, I’ve turned the corner and never looked back, I’m just so happy, I’m so grateful for this chance.”
Mr Robertson said something else that got him through the tough times was a strong support network, from friends and family, to the Leukaemia Foundation.
The Leukaemia Foundation provides support to Australians affected by blood cancer so they can concentrate on getting through treatment, feeling better and surviving their diagnosis.
Some support services include accommodation while patients are undergoing treatment, assistance with transport to appointments, education and information around their specific type of cancer, as well as other practical, financial, emotional and mental health support.
Mr Robertson said the Leukaemia Foundation really got him through his diagnosis and treatment.
“Without them I would have been stuffed, I would have had to sell my house, we couldn’t have afforded it,” he said.
“They were the biggest support network, they were always there, always so kind, I am just so grateful for them.”
After spending his last Christmas in a bed recovering from a bone-marrow transplant, Mr and Mrs Robertson are already in the holiday spirit.
“The tree is up at home, all the Christmas lights, if you drove down my street at night you’d see them blaring … we missed that last year but we got them up very quickly this year, we’re really rapt and excited for Christmas,” he said.
Mr Robertson said if there was one piece of advice he could give to others dealing with Leukaemia: ‘don’t give up’.
“Don’t give up, don’t look too far ahead, one day at a time, stay positive, you will get through it, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, you’ve got to hang in there,” he said.
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