IT WAS July 2020 - the Year of the Nurse - when Michelle Chapman put a worsening headache down to the stress and uncertainty of working in a busy hospital ward during a pandemic.
But when the mother-of-two momentarily found herself struggling to make sense of the patient notes in front of her, it triggered a chain of events that turned her world upside down. That day, the nurse became the patient; sitting in the John Hunter Hospital emergency department in her uniform.
"The whole time I was thinking, 'This is nothing, this is silly, there's nothing wrong, I'm fine'," Mrs Chapman said. "But the doctors didn't seem to think so."
An MRI revealed she had a lesion on her brain. She needed surgery.
"The doctor who told me had tears in her eyes when she broke the news to me," Mrs Chapman said.
Further testing found she had a grade 4 glioblastoma.
"The worst possible diagnosis you can have for a brain cancer," she said. "It has a very poor prognosis, and most patients don't survive more than five years.
"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My husband was with me and we were both just in this stunned state. About half an hour after I was told this news I had the Mark Hughes Foundation nurse contact me and ask me if I was OK.
"Which was great because I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know how to tell my loved ones, especially my children, I didn't know what I was going to say."
The Mark Hughes Foundation-funded nurses helped answer Mrs Chapman's questions, and guided her through the next steps - all the appointments and the treatments - which included radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
They told her where to be, and when.
"They took over all of that stuff that takes up your thoughts, they took that away and made it easier," she said.
"They were there just generally to support me."
It left her wanting to shine a light on the important work of the Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF) and the work they do to support not just the people with a brain cancer diagnosis, but their families too.
Mrs Chapman's family has since thrown themselves into raising money for the MHF.
They want to do anything they can to help find some answers.
"It is a family thing, when you get diagnosed with cancer," she said.
"It wasn't just me - everyone around me was devastated. And the Mark Hughes Foundation not only helped me but helped them too."
Mrs Chapman's mother, Denise Donlan, has already raised $25,000 this year via the MHF's Beanies for Brain Cancer campaign.
"It is the most under-funded of all cancers, and it is a devastating cancer. It's an ugly thing - like all cancers. But it would be nice to raise some awareness, raise some funds for research and hopefully change some outcomes.
"A lot of it happens to people in their 40s and 50s and in the prime of their life.
"We need to give people a chance."
Mrs Chapman believes the whole experience has made her a better nurse too.
"I can totally and utterly empathise with these patients, and I do know what they are going through," she said.
Mrs Chapman said she would never forget the kindness and care she received at the John Hunter Hospital.
"The staff were absolutely amazing... They were just all so kind to me. It is a busy place, and they all found time to be very kind to me," she said.
Buy a beanie - or a scarf - via the MHF website or participating Lowes and IGA stores.
Every cent raised from the sale of MHF beanies goes towards research into brain cancer and the treatment and care of brain cancer patients.
