Life can change in a heartbeat, as Cooma resident, Lisa Haines, found out last year.

Having led an active, healthy, exciting and busy life, there’s nothing quite as confronting or shocking than to be told in your early 50s that you have cancer and just weeks to live.

This was the situation that Lisa faced when in July 2024 she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Lisa’s symptoms were extreme tiredness and random bruises all over her body. She had weeks of blood tests before diagnosis and then finally a bone marrow extract which confirmed she had leukemia.

This news understandably sent Lisa, along with her family, into a spin with some major challenges ahead.

Lisa required immediate hospitalisation, chemotherapy treatment and an international search to locate a matching stem cell donor began. Her only chance of survival was to find her a donor from somewhere in the world.

“It was hard for husband, Troy, our sons and me to process this and even worse to tell our family and friends,” Lisa said

“It was completely shattering.”

Now, more than 10 months after the stem cell transplant Lisa is recovering slowly, taking one day at a time. She and Troy have modified their lives to assist with the recovery process and are now on a mission to spread awareness about stem cell donation and boost stem cell donor numbers in Australia.

There was nothing to suggest Lisa’s life was going to be altered so dramatically. In 2016, Lisa’s family moved from the Lockyer Valley in Queensland to Cooma, ready for new adventures.

She worked as a teacher’s aide at Saint Patrick’s School five days a week and had a second job at the Cooma Ex-Services Club in the bar and reception. Lisa’s husband, Troy, was an electrician, and worked in Canberra. One of their sons attends university and the other son is a local carpenter.

“I knew deep down it was leukaemia, but doctors at first were saying menopause as I was in the right age bracket, I was always tired, had aching sore bones, but there was all this bruising everywhere.

“I didn’t tell Troy about any of it, he had no idea. He was doing electrical work in Jordan at the time, so I had the bone marrow test done on my own and got the news that I had cancer 10 minutes before my husband was flying in from Jordan to come home.

“He had just come off a 30-hour flight, and when I saw him I was crying.

“He didn’t even get to go home after being away for so long as he came straight to the hospital in Canberra, and I was admitted that day and started chemo two days later.”

For Lisa and the family, the suddenness of the diagnosis was overwhelming with many specialists telling them what was going to happen.

“Processing anything was tough,” an emotional Lisa recalled.

“Troy had to stop work to be my full-time carer and we moved to the leukaemia village (John James Village)in Canberra for the next five months for treatment.”

They then moved to Brisbane for four months for the next stage of Lisa’s allogenic transplant.

Out of 43 million donors worldwide, one donor was found who has given Lisa an extension of life.

“My blood is pretty complicated to have just found one donor, but it is such a testament to the strength of human connection and generosity to be a donor.”

In Australia, Lisa said, there are only 165,000 registered donors from a population of 25 million.

“If you could get a donor in Australia, it wouldn’t take so long. I wouldn’t have had to do five months of chemo.”

Lisa is grateful to the Cooma community for the continued love and care she receives, which reflects the strength that comes from having a supportive network during difficult times.

“We just love Cooma, it’s a beautiful place to live and has a beautiful community.

“Halfway through my treatment staff from St Patrick’s did a fundraiser for leukaemia, they were such an awesome support crew.

“The Community Chest and Mccr were also very generous in financial support as were staff at St Patrick’s and the Cooma Ex-services Club, which helped us so very much.”

After such an emotional and physical rollercoaster ride, Lisa is philosophical about her life and where it is headed.

“I am happy to be here...nobody knows when their time is going to be up,” she said.

“There’s a lot to do still in life, we are big travellers and we have bought a van so we can just escape.

“It’s definitely changed our purpose and goals; life is very different and relaxed for me now.

“I wasn’t planning on slowing down at 54, but life obviously had other plans for me, and I am kind of enjoying it.”

Lisa is back working at Saint Patrick’s School one day a week in events and marketing. Having a new blood type and new cells means Lisa must start birth vaccinations again, so is not able to return to her teacher’s aide position.

“I am immunocompromised and will be for probably about two years, so it’s a long journey. And you cross your fingers that it’s going to work, because the transplant may not work. It can stop after a few years, and you have to then do it again. You’re always thinking how long it is going to last for.”

After Lisa’s challenging and personal experience her advocacy for blood donation is vital in raising its profile and awareness about how donations can make a significant difference in the lives of many.

Lisa and Troy, in partnership with Stem Cell Donors Australia, are hosting a life-saving Stem Cell Donor Day at the Ex-Services Club on Friday, 28 November from 3 to 6pm.

“Becoming a donor is quick and easy - it starts with a simple cheek swab,” Lisa said.

“Both my sons have become donors, as they are in the right age group.

“If your DNA matches someone in need anywhere in the world, you could be called upon to donate blood stem cells - offering someone their only chance at life.”

One swab. One match.

One life saved. Will you be the one?