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My KIA LIFE Soulful HEART, Melbourne (2026)

15/03/2026

Well…..on Saturday, I was dancing & singing to ABBA on a boat, by Tuesday I was singing “stop right now” in ER.

Remission with Myeloma is very different to many other cancers. There are no tumours to remove and no organs taken out in the hope the cancer is gone. Instead, we have copious amounts of chemo to stop the bone marrow from producing myeloma cells. Then we stay on chemo, hoping the bone marrow doesn’t start producing them again too quickly.

The chemo never really leaves our bodies. It keeps doing its job but it also keeps destroying other healthy cells along the way. Our immune system continues to be compromised. We take ages to get rid of a cold. Develop ridiculous fevers of 38+ unexpectedly with either shivers or sweats. Fatigue hangs around for days. We bruise & bleed easily. We 💩 and 💦 with high risks of E.Coli & UTI’s. If you’ve got Port then there’s risk of septicaemia.

And there you have it folks - my week. Emergency → ICU → now a ward.

Myeloma is no longer considered terminal but it is a chronic illness. For some of us it can be slowed down, but not completely eliminated. So if we’re not battling the disease itself, we’re managing the ongoing effects of the treatment. It means learning to live differently in a body that sometimes feels weaker than we’d like.

We don’t want to just survive, we want to live - and that’s what I plan to continue to do!

Mamma Mia!! 💃💃

22/02/2026

And this is what life is all about. Resistance and persistence brings me to a weekend of friendships, picnicking, jazz, singing & dancing, movies and plenty of food & drinks.

Remission looks pretty good! Enjoy the moment you’re in. You just don’t know what’s around the corner. With 2 (or 3??) relapses in 7 years, I should know. I treasure every moment and every friendship filled with life, laughter & love. 💋
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10/02/2026

Life has been good to me. Despite the Myeloma diagnosis, I was forced to leave a corporate life, my consulting business including travelling overseas to work around chemo and its side effects.

I studied to be a Holistic Counsellor, a Chair Yoga practitioner amongst a few other little certified practices. A far cry from the corporate life.

I’m now a Social Care Worker, work my own hours around treatments & side effects and just love my life. I have time to achieve many life goals including mastering my heritage of Southern Italian cooking.

Pivoting was a term used over covid. I think I pivoted pretty well! You can too - you don’t have to be sick to make life / career changes. Look at your skills, desires, dreams & goals. Think outside the box. Surrender and it will all come to you.

29/01/2026

This movie deserves its own post in my grid. It’s about loss, grief, family dynamics and its about choices we make in our lives.

It’s also about the choices of how we want to live….and die. The controversial topic of dying with dignity was talked about. It was about how everyone else felt about losing someone, not listening to how a suffering person wants to go with their dignity, “not having someone clean my bum”.

As someone who has stared down that barrel more than once, dying with dignity will be my choice. Right now I’m of sound mind and made it known to family & friends. In fact, it’s in my Medical Power Of Attorney.

After living a beautiful life, to be withering on a bed or chair, incapacitated and lifeless is not what we deserve. We have no control about disease & illness so at least give us the control to the end of the story.

17/01/2026

I’ve been dealing with sweats and other menopausal symptoms for a long while but I always questioned if it had been chemo-induced or just ageing? Believe it not. Very similar side effects!

That shiny face in photos? Not glow or make up. Sweat!!
Post-menopausal means no oestrogen or progesterone being produced. I know this now from hormone tests but figuring out what symptoms came from chemo and what came from menopause has been a whole journey.

I had a three-month break from chemo which gave me space to understand the aches, mood swings and OMG the sweats without the extra layer of treatment side effects.

When you’re peri or post menopausal and going through cancer treatment, it’s incredibly hard to separate what’s natural from what’s treatment induced.

So now I’m embarking on HRT. Third attempt as I tried twice before cancer and hoping this time it won’t trigger my old pal, endometriosis. That feels like a whole other lifetime ago.

To all the peri and menopausal women navigating cancer too, I see you. Sorry about the double whammy of sweats, shiny faces and damp hair. We’re in this together. 😓

15/01/2026

Cycle 21. Third or fourth treatment line in seven years. Here we go again.

After a three month break, yesterday I started chemo again. We’re easing in with daily Mezigdomide tablets, weekly steroids, then moving to fortnightly Carfilzomib IV. Same drill as the last 20 months.

I was a bit sad to hear this because I have perfect blood counts and basically in total remission (no myeloma), however that’s not how this disease works. At some point without treatment, the myeloma will come back (not might). Unfortunately/Fortunately I can only access the drug, Mezigdomide, on a trial and if I stay off it, not only do I lose my spot on the trial, (the drug is not available on PBS (normal prescription)) I’m playing roulette with the disease. We can’t risk an unmanaged relapse.

One positive (amongst many) having the chemo break is that I saw the “real” me come through. No chemo brain, brain fog, fatigue, shakes or sleepless nights. I have been energetic, organised, cared for others in need, partied, sang & danced, being present celebrating life’s milestones with friends & family (oh & I still have a bird phobia).

Knowing that the real me is still here has been wonderful to experience. It’s made me so happy.

So forward & upwards! Avanti! Forza! 화이팅!!

18/12/2025

He is MOTH (Man of the House & Papa Bear for socials which he doesn’t like being named), Partner in Crime, Darl, Love and many other alias’ and terms of endearment, but most of all has been my primary caregiver and “first responder” to every cough, cold, chemo treatment and emergency visits.

Seven years ago, our lives changed. Our kids were young. Cancer hit our home. MOTH took 10 months off work to care for me but also ensure there would be continued normality in the kids’ lives. They had school support & counsellors but nothing was more grounding or endearing than the steady love of their dad being with them when mum was barely present.

We did it “Camers”! I could not have built our beautiful family as it is today without you. Thanks Love! ❤️

Remember always to support the primary carer during these tough times.
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18/12/2025

7 year cancerversary

Many celebrate a cancer free anniversary. Those of us living with Multiple Myeloma celebrate another year of survival.

Today is my 7th year on this journey. One that has undeniably changed my life. My career, my day to day living, my relationships and my views on life.

Despite the rollercoaster of emotions, monthly, weekly and daily treatments, the pain, the hospital stays at Hotel Epy, the last minute cancelled events, I am the person I am because of these experiences living with cancer.

I feel like I have inspired and educated but this has come through my own inspiration & education. I’ve learnt so much outside my bubble.

So today is a day of joy. Not only beating the statistics (or being a statistic), but to celebrate the human I am today. I live in the moment. I’m excited about tomorrow and I love those beside me with my mind, body and soul.

Thanks for being on this journey with me. ###

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13/12/2025

Having cancer has made me stronger, wiser and far more caring and supportive. That’s because of the tremendous support I’ve received (and still receive) from those around me. Strangers, friends, family, football clubs, work and colleagues. People from all walks of life reaching out, offering comfort and support to me and my family. Something I have treasured.

That outpouring of generosity has changed how I show up for others. It’s why I now stop to write a card or send a text, cook a meal, offer a lift, babysit or simply be a shoulder to cry on. I finally understand what people mean when they say “paying it forward.”

I’ve said this before. Don’t ask, “What can I do?” or “Call me if you need anything.” Most of the time, we don’t ask. It might be embarrassment, not wanting to be a nuisance or simply not having the headspace to know what we or our families need. Instead, offer what you’re going to do. Be observant. Make suggestions.

And for those of you going through unusual times, take the offers. It took me a long time to realise I needed to save my strength for recovery and for my family to keep functioning without worrying about chores or meals.

It’s not just in sickness, grief, at the time or years down the track. Unexpected kindness and moments of joy can throw us off balance too in the very best way. Pregnancy, birth, new job, relocation, etc.

Christmas time is when I feel it most. I get excited to feed a crowd, sit around a table with those I adore sharing food, stories, laughter (and a bottle!). It’s my small way of honouring the kindness that once carried me and still does.

Kindness has a way of finding its way back to us. Sometimes quietly, sometimes when we need it most. When it does, it reminds us just how connected we all are.

Merry Christmas. May we notice each other, show up for one another and keep paying it forward.
🎄

11/12/2025

It’s been a moment, right? I’ve found it hard to post after losing my online friends , & (Allison) this year. I never imagined you could form such deep bonds through a screen; strangers who became confidants, sisters and soul-friends, even though we never met in person.

We were all diagnosed around the same time. Tracey and I even on the same day, opposite sides of the world and somehow we travelled our journeys in parallel. Same treatments, same milestones, almost like looking into a mirror each time we spoke.

And then, suddenly, their journeys ended. I keep reminding myself that every path is different but the grief isn’t about fearing my own timeline, it’s truly about losing these beautiful women who walked beside me for so long. Their stories & courage mattered and their stories still live in me.

So here’s where I’m at, without guilt because every journey deserves to be honoured.

After three hospital stays over winter and spring, my body had had enough. With my numbers in remission, my team decided to pause treatment for a month to let me recover & rebuild.

Two months later, still no treatment, I feel incredible. No brain fog. No nausea. No 36-hour sleeps. I’m driving again, working again, waking up feeling human again - oh and weight loss!! It’s hard to explain but I can genuinely feel the difference of not having the poison in my body. I feel alive.

On Monday I head in for my monthly appointment with my Professor & team and if my numbers are still stable, I’m going to ask (beg, really) for another month without treatment so I can move through this beautiful season feeling strong, present and festive.

Losing my friends has reminded me of something important. Our journeys may look similar but they are each uniquely ours. The hard parts don’t erase the hope. The grief doesn’t cancel out the gratitude. And moving forward doesn’t mean leaving anyone behind. It means carrying them with me, in strength, in memory and in purpose.

Here’s to another month of feeling good. Here’s to honouring those we’ve lost. And here’s to embracing our own path, wherever it leads - with courage, compassion and joy.

♥️

02/12/2025

If I could watch it, so can you!! And for the record, she has not .

What a brilliant series covering all aspects of - denial, anger, negotiating, depression & finally acceptance. It wasn’t just the cancer patient going through it but her entire tribe.

Everyone felt they owned it (and her) and everyone tried to control life’s direction in their own way, for themselves. Ultimately, this was her cancer, her , her bod, her tolerance, her life & her death.

The bit I loved and related to was losing control of having the disease so she took the reins to control life’s direction around her, including trying to control when she would die! Cancer was not going to stop her doing what she wanted to do.

In the end she found acceptance, she let go and ultimately, she found peace.

It sounds morbid but it was four seasons of life lessons told with so much humour along the way. One website describes it as:

“The show uses both humor and tragedy to address the realities of chronic illness and mortality, leaving viewers with a sense of catharsis and acceptance”.

highly recommend it to anyone going through the rollercoaster of .
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30/11/2025

We may not see each other too many times in the year but when we do, we make up for it over brunch, lunch & afternoon tea 😂😂

Fourth-Six years ago, this beautiful woman walked up to me as I began half way through the first year of high school. She introduced herself, held my hand and guided me to the playground.

All you need is to accept that one hand to change your world. High school was wonderful from there on.
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My KIA LIFE Soulful HEART

15/03/2026

22/02/2026

10/02/2026

29/01/2026

17/01/2026

15/01/2026

18/12/2025

18/12/2025

13/12/2025

11/12/2025

02/12/2025

30/11/2025

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