"Time is meant for living in the present." This straightforward message is often overlooked, but imagine being able to see your minutes slipping away. Emily Lahey, a Melbourne resident, experiences this firsthand. The 32-year-old is battling NUT carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer with a typical prognosis of only six to nine months.
This weekend, Ms Lahey is auctioning parts of her remaining time to strangers in Sydney as part of a performance art piece called 'Time to Live'. During this event, a large projection counts down from three minutes, illustrating the fleeting nature of their time together.
The goal of this unique experience is to draw attention to the emotional and psychological burdens of living with a terminal illness or supporting someone who does, as well as to underscore the need for continued cancer research.
Before her diagnosis at 27, Ms Lahey was in peak health, running 5 to 10 kilometres daily. "I never thought cancer was a possibility," she shared with 7NEWS.com.au.
Although she initially experienced chronic sinusitis and headaches, it wasn't until she began losing vision in one eye that doctors discovered a mass, roughly the size of a cricket ball, in her sinuses and skull.
The rare cancer does not respond well to standard treatments like chemotherapy, leaving her medical team uncertain about how to proceed. Genetic testing led to the consideration of an experimental treatment known as BET inhibitors, but she had to wait until her condition worsened enough to qualify for the government's special access program.
"This has given me extra time that I never thought I'd have, and my family and I are very thankful for that," she said.
Although doctors cannot predict how much time Ms Lahey has left, she embraces each day with gratitude. "Everything comes and goes in waves. It's like being on a constant rollercoaster," she said. "There were times I struggled to look beyond the next day or week. As time goes on, I'm gaining a bit more confidence to look towards the end of the year."
Cancer is Australia's leading cause of death, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Despite this, Lahey believes it's something people often assume won't affect them or their loved ones. "Time is incredibly valuable," she remarked. "Cancer can take too much of it."
Through this poignant and personal experience, Lahey hopes to inspire others to reevaluate their priorities and emphasize the importance of ongoing cancer research.
In the early 1990s, Australia's cancer survival rate was just over 50 per cent, according to AIHW data. By the late 2010s, nearly 70 per cent of Australians survived at least five years after diagnosis.
"Until survival rates approach 100 per cent, our community must continue supporting new, progressive cancer research," Ms Lahey said.
This bold artistic endeavour is an initiative of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF), which supports innovative research across various cancers, including rare ones.
"There is still much work to be done," said Carly Du Toit, ACRF's General Manager of Fundraising and Marketing. "We hope this event emphasizes the critical need for funding groundbreaking research that could provide those affected by cancer, like Emily and her loved ones, with the most precious gift of all time."
