Willeton’s Remi Godfrey shows her trademark positivity while getting treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2018.

WILLETON’S Remi Godfrey was in year 12 at Curtin College of the Arts when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The then 17-year-old dancing student had a rash on her arm, but it kept coming back and doctors thought it could be scabies, a parasite or even an allergy.

“After countless doctor visits and still no answers, I came home from dance class one night, hardly able to breathe,” Godfrey says.

“Mum raced me to the hospital where I had x-rays and a biopsy to discover my rash was in fact stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. My tumour behind my lungs was 11cm.

“It was one of those moments you expect to wake from, realising it was all just a bad dream. But for me, this wasn’t a dream – a cancer diagnosis in my final school year was my reality.”

Courageous

Despite the earth-shattering news, Godfrey bravely kept attending school and studying for her year 12 final exams.

“I had to be careful at school as I was immunocompromised, meaning if I got sick, I got really sick. On top of this I was experiencing a foggy ‘cancer brain’ when I was studying for my year 12 final exams,” she says.

“After the most gruelling year of my life and just as I was walking into my final biology exam, I received good news. My tumour had rapidly shrunk, and I was in remission!

“I got through cancer while completing my year 12 final exams and scored a great result. Anything is possible now.”

Due to her courage and positive attitude, Cancer Council WA have named Godfrey as their 2022 Daffodil Day Ambassador.

The proceeds from every daffodil sold at Bunnings during the month-long August appeal will go towards cancer research, or you can donate online or help fundraise at daffoadilday.com.au. 

The Cancer Council is hoping to raise $2million to help people like Godfrey, who is now a nursing student.

“Cancer threatened to rob my teenage years, and if it wasn’t for the support and research of the people and the medical teams surrounding me, I may not have made it through with the optimism I did,” she says.

“I think cancer research is so important. Nobody asks to get cancer, nobody asks for this to happen to them so to have research to help lengthen and improve people’s lives – that’s what’s important.”

An estimated 13,000 West Australians are diagnosed with cancer every year.

Every day another 36 West Aussies will hear the words ‘you have cancer’.

To donate go to daffodilday.com.au.