Dear family and friends,

Please help raise funds to give me the gift of my lifetime - a beautiful glass photographic portrait of myself by world-renowned portrait and fashion photographer Robbie Merritt - and support the work of an incredible local charity - Cancer Support WA.

Please show your support by sponsoring my portrait.

Thank you,

Dillon O'Dwyer

MY STORY

At only 18, in my second year of university, I began to loose interest in learning, concentrating had become difficult, and I wasn't able to function on a mental level that I knew I was capable of.  In Semester 1, I failed all my units, Semester 2 didnt get any better.  During Semester 2, I woke to a sharp pain in my leg, around my knee. I originally thought it was nothing more than a pulled muscle. As mums do, Id learnt to "leave it for a week" just in case it went away. Hot packs, cold packs, anti-inflammatories, nothing seemed to relieve the pain.  Eventually I booked an appointment with my GP.  With a delay of a few weeks, i eventually saw him, and he referred me on to a knee specialist. After another few weeks, he said that an x-ray, blood test and MRI were required so that we could make sure we find out exactly what is going on.   The x-ray and blood test were done soon enough, but the MRI took yet another few weeks. Then, the day of my MRI,  I was told that I needed to come in the next day, because I had a tumor in my leg.

That is when everything took off, no more delays, no more "give it a few weeks"... On 29 November 2012 I was officially diagnosed with an Osteosarcoma in my right femur.  After 3 months treatment of chemotherapy, the time came when I needed surgery. The tumor had grown to such a size that there was no way to save my leg.  I was booked in for an above knee amputation on 23 March 2013. Today,  I am still currently undergoing 4 months post-op chemotherapy, and am trying to bring the bald-look back into fashion among my peers :-P,  It has been a difficult journey, my single-mum, and little brother, Tyler, supporting me as I lie around the house, bored, lethargic, and generally unmotivated.  I have no idea whether I will come out of this stronger or for the better, but I believe that I have the ability to get through this, because within 4 months I have had the ability to walk again from scratch, and start on the track to getting back to my life.

Thank you,

Dillon O'Dwyer