CANCER can be beaten - just ask Ashlee Williams.
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Miss Williams was not expected to be alive today but thanks to her wonderful medical support and sheer determination she made a near miraculous recovery.
The support she received from her family, friends and the Shoalhaven Hockey Association also played an important role in her survival.
Her life was thrown in turmoil in May 2015 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The news for the then 26-year-old was grim.
“Not once did I think I was going to die - but others did,” she said.
“I was not meant to last by Christmas.”
Receiving treatment at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney saved the Bay and Basin resident’s life.
From daily radiation to weekly chemotherapy - the treatment was intense and taxing but it saved her life.
“I got fried,” she said.
Some days she could not even lift her head off her pillow but her determined spirit came through.
Even her medical team was stunned when Ashlee not only responded to the treatment but in by January was in remission.
She was shopping when she got the great news.
“I was just overwhelming happy and so grateful for all the support I received ,” she said
“I was just crying in the corner and tried to call people but I could not get the words out and so I had to send text messages.”
She said being in remission was like getting a new start to life.
Ashlee still has her ups and downs and is susceptible to infections.
Her advice to others is to stay super positive and take things an hour by hour.
She wanted to thank the whole Shoalhaven Hockey community for their support not only to her but also to her children seven-year-old Zahli and six-year-old Kyden.
Kim Matheson and Scott Gee from the St Georges Basin hockey committee in particular supported Ashlee tremendously.
The money raised by her hockey family at a fundraiser meant she was able to stay in Sydney for treatment which made life easier.
Another wonderful moment in her road to recovery happened recently when she shared a special moment with her mum Wendy Williams after they won the women’s hockey grand final 3-2 against Berry.
“Mum said to me ‘who would have thought we would be here’,” Ashlee said.
“My mum was like my rock.”
Ashlee moved from normal centre half position up to the forwards for the match and went close to scoring a few goals.