When it comes to hardship, Hillside’s Lisa and Robert McIntosh have had more than their fair share.
For 16 years, Lisa has battled ovarian cancer, while Robert had a spinal tumour and lung cancer.
Now Lisa is again relying on medicine after being diagnosed with autoimmune disease, for which there is no cure.
It all started in 2008 when the Hillside resident became ill and was diagnosed with Ross River fever.
As her symptoms and pain intensified, Lisa was also diagnosed with Epstein–Barr virus, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis and connective tissue disease before doctors joined the dots and declared she had autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune disease causes a person’s immune system to start attacking its own organs and tissue.
Lisa suffers widespread pain, fatigue, muscle spasms, nausea, ulcers in her mouth and nose, hot and cold flushes, pins and needles, memory loss and confusion.
She’s on a range of medications to manage the disease as best as possible and is undergoing chemotherapy to suppress her immune system. Doctors believe Lisa can live for up to five years using the treatment.
There’s a high chance one of her four children or any future grandchildren could also develop autoimmune disease.
Lisa’s daughter Tahnee, 19, has been battling chronic fatigue for the last couple of years and now has what’s classed as indicative lupus.
“It’s a living nightmare,” Lisa says. “We’ve got to just stay positive and hope for something. The rest of the world seems to be doing a lot [to try and find a cure], but Australia doesn’t seem to be doing much at all.”
The McIntosh family had to refinance their home during Robert’s cancer battles to keep up with mortgage repayments and cover living expenses, meaning that today Lisa is financially unable to pursue overseas options.
“Getting the news that this disease that I’ve got is not curable at all, I think it has been a huge slap to our face,’’ she says.
“But if there is a way to survive it, I will survive it.
‘‘I’ll never ever say that I’m terminal, because to me that’s giving in. I’m fighting against the odds, but I’m hoping I’ll win.”
Family friends will host a fund-raiser at East Keilor RSL on Sunday, August 31, to help relieve the financial burden on the McIntoshs.
Tickets cost $45 per adult and include food, beer, wine, soft drink, face-painting and live entertainment. For more details or bookings, phone Tracey on 0437 536 142.
