Cairns real estate agent Lisa Griffiths was first diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just 22 years old
A young woman who has been given just months to live but refuses to accept her diagnosis has one more opportunity to save her life.
Cairns real estate agent Lisa Griffiths was first diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just 22 years old when a 6.7cm tumour was discovered in 2015.
Now 26, she travelled to Mexico where she underwent a course of treatment not yet available in Australia.
But during the course, Ms Griffiths was told the tumour in her skull was growing at a ‘rapid pace’ to the point of being able to feel it at the back of her head.
She returned to Australia on Thursday.
An update on GoFundMe by her friend Megs Whiteside revealed that new lesions have been spotted on Ms Griffiths’ lungs.
Ms Griffiths previously battled the aggressive cancer for four years, which saw her learning to walk again and suffering memory loss and speech difficulties.
‘When I was first diagnosed at 22 they gave me a year [to live] and I survived,’ Ms Griffiths previously told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Griffiths refuses to accept the terminal diagnosis after her previous four-year battle with the aggressive cancer
Ms Griffiths bravely fought back before from a brain cancer four years ago. Her 6.7cm tumour (pictured) was discovered in 2015
Ms Griffiths refuses to accept the terminal diagnosis after her previous four-year battle with the aggressive cancer which saw her learning to walk again and suffering memory loss and speech difficulties
Ms Griffiths will now undergo a clinical trial agreed upon with her neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon.
‘Lisa has an extremely rare soft tissue cancer,’ Ms Whiteside wrote.
‘So rare that there are few people in the world with this type of lesion as a primary intracranial tumour.
‘This has always made her case extremely unusual and has made treating her very difficult.
‘Given the nature of this aggressive disease, Lisa’s specialist team suggested she proceed with a clinical trial as soon as possible in hopes to shrink the tumours, as all other treatments have been unsuccessful.’
Ms Griffiths has already had her first dose of the treatment in the clinical trial and ‘tolerated this extremely well’.
She thanked the community for their continuous support.
Ms Griffiths is pictured when she underwent radiotherapy treatment in September 2018
The GoFundMe page for Ms Griffiths (pictured) has since reached $162,967 of the $150,000 goal and continues to grow
Close friend Megs Whiteside (left) organised a GoFundMe campaign to raise the funds required
The GoFundMe page has since reached $162,967 of the $150,000 goal and continues to grow.
After having spent $250,000 of her own money, Ms Griffiths believes the majority of the money has been contributed by friends and local businesses in the Cairns area.
‘Never once has she ever complained or looked for sympathy even when she was devastatingly faced with loss of eyesight,’ Ms Whiteside wrote on the fundraiser.
‘Through every grim diagnosis and only weeks after each surgery she turned up to work every day with a positive attitude, always looking to make others smile.’
After having spent $250,000 of her own money, Ms Griffiths believes the majority of the money has been contributed by friends and local businesses in the Cairns area
Ms Griffiths’ partner Troy McGuane has also contributed to the cause by sharing an impassioned video online asking for help.
Mr McGuane almost broke down in tears as he spoke of the terminal diagnosis and the public’s generosity.
‘The support has humbled myself and Lisa and I have cried multiple times today, not in sadness but due to me being so proud of her,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Griffiths’ partner Troy McGuane (pictured) has also contributed to the cause by sharing an impassioned video online asking for help