‘At 33, I thought I had sciatic pain. The truth was devastating.’

Jemma knew something was wrong when she couldn't get off the floor.

"I always kind of had that lower back pain there," the 34-year-old told Mamamia. "I worked at a pizza shop. I just thought it was from bending over to make pizzas all the time. 

"It got really bad. But it wasn't anything that I would have worried about."

Thinking it was sciatic nerve pain, Jemma went to see her doctor, hoping for some relief.

Watch: A day in the life of a cancer researcher. Post continues after video.

"I just needed something to mask the pain," she explained.

The doctor ordered a scan to be on the safe side, and noticed something irregular.

"After the first scan, I went back and they found something on my spine. They thought it was an injury.

"Then the second scan, they said they found tumours and they thought it was cancerous now, because of the way it was spreading."

In April 2023, Jemma went back once more for a full body scan and was given the life-altering news: she had stage four non-small cell lung cancer with an EGFR exon 20 mutation.

Jemma will never forget the moment the doctor delivered the diagnosis.

"The room kind of just went very quiet," she recalled.

"I had my husband with me, actually, when I got told the news. And you can hear the doctor, but it just doesn't feel real. It just feels like you're dreaming." 

Since that day, Jemma has been through chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, and trial treatments.

"Physically, it is exhausting," she said of the therapy. "It is very draining. And same mentally. You have to kind of take it one day at a time, you know, just another day, another day. That's kind of where I'm at, I just do it one day at a time otherwise it gets too overwhelming."

Supporting Jemma through her cancer battle is her family — her husband, Lang, and her stepson, Riley.

"They're fantastic," Jemma said. "They're also obviously struggling with it all, as if you wouldn't. They're also trying to find their ways to cope for themselves.

"I am very lucky. I have so much support. But I kind of feel like sometimes people forget about the family members that have to sit there and go through it with them."

It was a family friend who shared some potentially life changing news with Jemma just recently.

They had heard about a trial for a new drug — Amivantamab, which specifically targets her rare mutation — while working on the board with Michael Boyer, the CEO of not-for-profit cancer hospital Chris O'Brien Lifehouse in Sydney.

"I was excited that there was another drug available that was for biomutation. But I was also taken back by the price," Jemma said.

Sourced overseas, the treatment has an overwhelming cost of around $10,000 per fortnight. The financial pressure is immense for Jemma and her family, who are aiming to raise money for a year's worth of treatment.

Her brother-in-law, Gus, is setting off on a 1,000km bike ride, from Sydney to Byron Bay, in an effort to fundraise for the treatment.

"It has taken a lot of financial pressure off us," Jemma said of Gus' efforts. "We obviously sold our pizza shop and used the money towards it. I've already put my superannuation towards it. We've put everything towards it."

Now, the family is also reaching out to the community to ask for help.

"Our goal is to raise a year's worth of treatment to give Jemma the best chance at continuing her courageous fight," reads their website. "Your support could make all the difference in Jemma's journey, allowing her to focus on what matters most: spending precious time with her loved ones and continuing to bring joy to those around her."

Added Jemma, "As soon as people donate [through Rare Cancers Australia], it's actually tax deductible. I don't have access to the money, they pay for my treatment direct."

Jemma hopes that the drug will eventually be able to get through the Australian Government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which subsidises medicines to make them more affordable.

"Then other people can just jump straight on it and not have to worry about that financial stress."

You can support Jemma and her family by donating here.

Feature Image: Instagram/@strongerwithjem