Leukaemia Foundation joins forces with blood cancer survivor Briony Benjamin to raise awareness of lymphoma

As a national ambassador for the Leukaemia Foundation, Briony is hoping to raise much-needed awareness of lymphoma - the most diagnosed form of blood cancer in Australia – and is encouraging anyone impacted by the disease to reach out to the Leukaemia Foundation for support.   

With over 65,200 Australians currently living with lymphomaⁱ, World Lymphoma Awareness Day provides an opportunity for the Leukaemia Foundation to educate people on the signs and symptoms of the disease, which can often be subtle and difficult to recognise.  

Common lymphoma symptoms include painless lumps around the lymph nodes usually in the neck, armpit or groin that may be dismissed as harmless. Other symptoms are night sweats, recurrent infections or fevers, and even itchy skin. 

As someone who was misdiagnosed several times before eventually being told she had lymphoma, Briony believes that because the disease can be difficult to spot, it’s especially important to listen to your body and to act when something doesn’t feel right. 

The Leukaemia Foundation encourages Australians to speak to your GP if you have ongoing symptoms that can’t be explained. The sooner that a blood cancer diagnosis occurs, the greater chance people have of beating the disease. 

Anyone impacted by lymphoma, or any type of blood cancer can contact Australia’s blood cancer support line Monday to Friday via calling 1800 620 420 or visit bloodcancer.org.au.   

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW - BRIONY BENJAMIN: 

• Briony is a Gold Coast based storyteller, content creator, motivational speaker and author of the book and journal ‘Life is Tough But So Are You’.   

• Briony was a healthy and fit 31-year-old before she was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma in 2018, a shock diagnosis which instantly turned her life upside down. 

• Briony was thrown into life-saving treatment almost immediately including months of grueling chemotherapy where she lost her hair. 

• After eventually being declared cancer-free, it took Briony a long time to recover physically and emotionally from her blood cancer experience.  

• She is now a healthy and thriving blood cancer survivor and is pregnant with her first child due in October. 

• Briony is available for interviews to speak about her own first-hand experience with lymphoma and what she hopes to achieve in collaboration with Leukaemia Foundation on World Lymphoma Awareness Day.  

Please contact the Leukaemia Foundation media team to interview Briony Benjamin, and/or a Leukaemia Foundation spokesperson at media@leukaemia.org.au. 

Lymphoma – facts and figuresⁱⁱ: 

• Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer in Australia. 

• In 2023, 7,403 Australians will be diagnosed with lymphoma. This is projected to more than double to reach 17,171 people per year by 2035.  

• Currently, 65,233 Australians are living with lymphoma.  

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^[i] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia/contents/summary
^[ii] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia/contents/summary