Sharon was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in late 2021, at a time when not only was COVID changing our lives, but she had a lot going on herself. Moving house and fitting out a new apartment, Sharon felt stressed, but well. So, one night when she was applying moisturiser, her hand passed over a lump just below her neck on her shoulder that had her question in surprise “what is that?”.

Sharon quickly made an appointment the next day with her GP, who had their own experience with lymphoma. The doctor knew right away that something wasn’t right and called a haematologist then and there whilst Sharon was in the room. After two inconclusive biopsies, Sharon then saw a surgeon to remove the lump and do a slice biopsy. This showed some certain markers, but results were unclear on whether it was Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. By the following week Sharon was diagnosed.

Looking back at her modelling photos taken 4 weeks prior to when she first found the lump Sharon noted that there were no signs of it, but another 2 weeks on she noted signs of swelling in photos. Not only had she appeared to have caught it early but was also impressed by the quick acting medical team, having gone just six weeks from her finding the lump to being diagnosed with treatment plan in place – the only holdback was the need for extra tests at the biopsy stage.

Throughout her treatment Sharon felt lucky to feel rather well, with a rough patch across only 3 weeks or so. She acknowledged that her health and fitness helped with the treatment plan and recovery – and appreciated that they treated her as someone under 50, as this meant her treatment was shorter, even if more intense.

Hair loss came as a part of Sharon’s chemotherapy, and although she was rather comfortable with her bald head, Sharon was keen to have wigs as an option. When she started to look for one online, it quickly became confusing on what types, what quality and whether they would suit her. She recalls being given some pamphlets by the cancer nurses at hospital, one of which was for the Cancer Council ACT Wig service.

“When I contacted them, I heard back on that same day and withing a day and a half was in with Georgina. Cancer Council ACT were so easy to deal with, and Georgina was a delight,” Sharon said. “I knew I wanted grey and thought that there wouldn’t be much in my style, that there would be more older looking styles. Georgina and I felt genuine excitement when we knew we had found the one! I’ve had so many compliments.”

Sharon became the Wig Service Ambassador in 2021 and as a public figure helps promote and support the service and Cancer Council ACT.