Friends and family rally around

Jaymee-Lee, Jake and Leylani.

By Jade Glen

Jaymee-Lee O’Donoghue was at work when she starting experiencing some sharp stabbing pains in her abdomen.
Pregnant with her second daughter, Jaymee-Lee called Warragul Hospital’s Maternity Ward to see what she should do.
They told her to come in and get checked out – and so began a whirlwind of tests that ended with Jaymee-Lee being diagnosed with primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma, an aggressive cancer in her heart and kidneys.
One week after those first sharp pains, 26-year-old Jaymee-Lee was at Monash Hospital undergoing her first round of chemotherapy.
“I went to the maternity ward and they said it wasn’t my baby and sent me to emergency to get checked out,” she said.
“I was there for a while. They did blood tests and thought it looked like my pancreas was playing up.
“They organised for me to stay in overnight and have an ultrasound in the morning,” she said.
“After the ultrasound they requested an MRI so I went by patient transport to Traralgon, had my MRI and got discharged on the Friday night.
“On the Saturday morning they rang and said to pack my things because I was going to Monash – I had fluid on my heart.”
Jaymee-Lee was cared for by Monash’s cardiac care unit. After a biopsy and ultrasounds, she was told she had lymphoma.
“I had a lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy, and that afternoon they started chemo,” she said.
Following her lumbar puncture and first round of chemotherapy, Jaymee-Lee could not lift her head from the pillow for three days.
During her stay at Monash, Jaymee-Lee’s partner Jake and their daughter Leylani left their Warragul home to stay with Jake’s grandparents in Cranbourne, so they could be closer to Jaymee-Lee.
Now 28 weeks pregnant, Jaymee-Lee’s team of specialists are aiming to fit in three or four rounds of chemotherapy before she delivers their second daughter, named Lucy.
Lucy will be delivered early at Monash Hospital. Doctors have assured Jaymee-Lee that while Lucy may be small, she should have no lasting effects from the chemotherapy.
Prior to her diagnosis, Jaymee-Lee worked full-time while Jake is a stay-at-home dad.
Jaymee-Lee’s extended family has rallied around her to provide support and help raise funds to cover her ongoing medical and living expenses.
“It’s the things you don’t really think about.
“After chemotherapy you have to have gloves and double bag any tissues or things like that. They organised a bin, and a shower chair.
“After not really getting out of bed in hospital I could barely stand up or walk without being puffed out.
“I have a blood thinning injection every night, which is $190 for a box of 20.”
Jaymee-Lee said she had been overwhelmed by the support of her family after her cousins started a Gofundme page for her.
“My family has been amazing, just the generosity of everyone – I expected them to come with love, never in a million years did I expect money or anything else.”
To donate to Jaymee-Lee, visit www.gofundme.com/4gy081c.
Follow her journey on Facebook at Jaymee Lee’s Journey.