Kaarimba’s Tonietta Mackin had walked past GV Health’s oncology department many a time, never noticing the absence of a seat out the front, until she found herself one day receiving her own cancer treatment there and facing a lengthy wait to be picked up, standing and exhausted, in the heat.
“It’s those little things, isn’t it ... you don’t necessarily think about that when you go to the hospital,” Mrs Mackin said.
“I knew where oncology was (before her own diagnosis), but I had nothing to do with it because I wasn’t really touched.”
So, she rallied her garden club, Kaarimba Gardening Friends, to raise funds for a seat, which was installed in 2023.
She now sees it regularly utilised by people waiting for taxis or lifts post-treatment or appointments at the hospital’s Specialist Consulting Suite.
Mrs Mackin was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma on Christmas Day in 2020, the same year she’d retired and was looking forward to travelling and spending more time with family.
Instead of relaxing, she braced for the fight of her life.
Eight visits to GV Health to manage complications and have fluid drained — sometimes two to three litres at a time — preceded a referral to St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne for surgery.
After a stay at the city hospital to recover from the operation, Mrs Mackin returned to Shepparton to begin chemotherapy at GV Health.
“Over the six years, my treatment has involved regular hospital visits, along with a number of setbacks, including COVID-19 — I had it for five months — pneumonia, influenza and blood clots,” she said.
“There were times when I needed help showering and dressing, and I had to use a wheely walker to get around because I was so weak.”
The unthinkable happened when her husband, Paul, too was diagnosed with kidney cancer and needed radiation therapy at the same time.
Despite the challenges, Mrs Mackin said she was determined to keep doing the things she loved, one of them finding new ways to raise funds for local cancer services.
Through her home hobby preserving business Romeo’s Kitchen, she was recently able to donate $1200 to the oncology unit at GV Health, after selling Christmas hampers she prepared for friends, eggs to her craft group, and morning and afternoon teas to guests at an open day at The Olde Creamery in Numurkah.
While she still attends GV Health every four weeks for intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, she is still coming up with ways to give back.
“I've sort of got it in my blood now that I've got to fundraise,” Mrs Mackin said.
“It's like a job. What can I do next? The mind is constantly ticking over.”
It’s her garden club’s turn to host the annual event for the northwest region of garden clubs this month, so Mrs Mackin and fellow members have decided to make it a fundraiser for GV Health Foundation’s I Care for Cancer Care fundraising appeal.
They will sell biscuits, relish and metal daffodils; the floral symbol of hope.
While the event is only open to those in the clubs, Mrs Mackin is also considering opening her private garden at Kaarimba for an event in the spring when it’s alive with colour and the trees are heavy with shady foliage.
She says that while she didn’t get the retirement trip she’d planned when cancer foiled her plans, she’s grateful she has been able to continue doing the things she loves locally.
“For myself, having access to cancer care close to home has made a significant difference,” Mrs Mackin said.
“Without the oncology unit in Shepparton and the wonderful staff, I would have to travel to Melbourne.
“That would just add another challenge.”
The GV Health Foundation is calling on individuals, businesses and community groups to donate to its $5 million I Care for Cancer Care @ GV Health fundraising appeal to help bring first-class cancer care to the Goulburn Valley.
Donations can be made via the foundation’s website.
Community members interested in the various opportunities to contribute to and support the appeal can contact Amy De Paola via email at amy.depaola@gvhealth.org.au
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