After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, a 31-year-old woman has opened up about how she would have approached life differently if she’d known how little time she had.
Amanda Hedges, like so many of us, believed there was plenty of time to tick off her bucket list. She kept pushing fun experiences further down her priorities. But everything changed last year when what started as mild headaches revealed a devastating truth.
“I asked my psychiatrist about it. They weren’t bad headaches and went away with Panadol,” she shared.
Initially, the headaches didn’t seem alarming, but a scan uncovered the worst possible news—a cancerous tumor in her brain.
Amanda, who lives in Brisbane, told FEMAIL that she has Glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and terminal form of brain cancer.
Typically, this type of cancer is found in older adults between the ages of 60 and 80, and most people with it have a life expectancy of just three to 24 months after diagnosis.
Amanda said she would live her life differently if she had a second chance (GoFundMe)[/caption]
Amanda’s first six weeks of treatment, which included both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, left her struggling with nausea and shortness of breath.
This limited amount of time has made her reflect deeply on how she wants to spend the rest of her life and the things she regrets about how she lived before.
She shared, “None of my old bosses or colleagues are sitting with me while I do chemo.
“It’s my mum and dad and friends that are here supporting me through this.
“I wish I could live again so I could stop worrying about the little things and enjoy myself.
“I would spend more time with the people who actually mattered, make more of an effort to meet someone and have kids, to travel.
“If I had my time again I would do everything different.”
Although Amanda can’t go back and change the past, she has opened up about what she hopes to do with the time she has left.
She went on to say: “I really want to stay at a hotel on the beach and just listen to the waves and forget that I am dying. Forget that I am me. Be someone else for a few days and just relax and have fun.
“I have also always wanted to head back to Australia Zoo and see Robert Irwin do a show. I saw his dad do one when I was a kid but I have always just put off going.
“And I really want to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet. I guess hotels would have that covered.”
In addition to these dreams, she has started a GoFundMe to help raise the money she needs to truly live life to the fullest.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by these issues and needs support, you can reach out to the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or use their live chat, available 24/7 all year round.
