CONVERSATION:
- Melbourne City’s star players, and blood cancer survivors, Rebekah ‘Stotty’ Stott and James ‘Jimmy’ Jeggo, dyed their hair ‘blue for blood cancer’ yesterday, in support of the Leukaemia Foundation’s iconic and much-loved World’s Greatest Shave.
- For both Stotty and Jeggo, taking part in the World’s Greatest Shave was a decision driven by a personal connection to the cause, after they both beat the same blood cancer – Hodgkin’s lymphoma – in recent years.
- Stotty dyed Jeggo’s hair, and vice versa, with them both emerging at the media event with bright blue locks to suit their team colours and that of the Leukaemia Foundation brand.
- Two young fans, Daisy (16) and Amelie (16) from Glen Waverley Secondary College also attended and shaved off their long, beautiful locks (image of girls attached), in support of the 53 Australians diagnosed with blood cancer every day, and also the fact that blood cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed in school aged children in Australia.
- Jeggo and Stotty did the honours of taking the first few swipes of the shavers on both girls, which was an emotional moment for them, as they both lost their hair during their life-saving blood cancer treatment.
JIMMY'S BLOOD CANCER DIAGNOSIS:
- Jimmy's life took a sharp turn when at the age of 16, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- He’d been experiencing severe pain for months, in the lead up to his diagnosis.
- He endured 8 months of chemotherapy at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.
- Jimmy’s brother Luc recalls that Jimmy would train with a bald head, at Melbourne Knights, even whilst undergoing his treatment.
- When speaking of Jimmy’s strength and determination during this time Luc said, “He was so positive through the whole thing. I even remember one day I walked into the hospital, and he was doing push-ups with the cords attached to him.”
STOTTY'S BLOOD CANCER DIAGNOSIS:
- Rebekah was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in 2021. At the time, she was playing football in England, during the middle of a pandemic.
- She had noticed 2 big lumps on her neck that were growing and went for a biopsy. The results showed that she had stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was in quarantine when she received the news.
- Rebekah endured 4 months of a 21-day cycle of chemotherapy. Fortunately, she was able to get home for treatment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
- She was told that with her diagnosis, there would be a high risk of losing her fertility.
- She documented her journey on a second Instagram account - @beatitbystotty. She also has a website - https://www.beatitbystotty.com/, where she sells a ‘modern cancer bag’ - a bag designed with specific compartments to support fellow patients through their medical journey.
- Now in remission, she wants to raise awareness for blood cancer, and use her story to help inspire as many people as possible.
About us:
About the Leukaemia Foundation: The Leukaemia Foundation stands with Australia to help cure and conquer blood cancer – with care. Together we are attacking every blood cancer, from every direction, in every way we can. We stand beside every Australian to be their voice and their someone-to-turn to, fighting to get them access to the best care. We also accelerate research that is delivering rapid advancements in blood cancer diagnosis and treatments. Plus, we provide services and support that empower people living with any blood cancer to live well after diagnosis. You can learn more about the Leukaemia Foundation and blood cancer at leukaemia.org.au
Contact details:
Contact our media team - media@leukaemia.org.au