At just 18 years old, Annalise Patti should have been focused on choosing a career path or saving for her first home.
Instead, her life veered in an unimaginable direction when she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer.
Annalise’s journey began when she found a lump beneath her rib and started having trouble breathing.
Working in childcare and keeping active at the gym in her local Maudsland area, Annalise knew something was wrong when she suddenly struggled with simple daily tasks.
“Bone cancer runs on my mum’s side of the family, so we were particularly mindful,” Annalise said.
“I went to the doctor and got X-rays done.
“It looked like my rib was moth eaten, and they quickly sent me for a biopsy.”
Doctors removed most of the tumour during that procedure, confirming it was Ewing sarcoma - a rare bone cancer that accounts for around 10 per cent of cancers in adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 25.
“It’s a really harsh cancer, so there weren’t many treatment options, and I was told I had to start chemotherapy as soon as possible,” she said.
“The first question I asked my doctors was, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?’
“It was my identity and losing it felt like the worst thing that could happen, but I had to make that sacrifice.”
Before starting treatment, Annalise made another important decision – one to freeze her eggs at a fertility clinic, in the hopes of one day starting a family.
It’s a topic she is passionate about sharing with other women and girls who may be going through a similar experience, to empower them to secure their future fertility which can be impacted by chemotherapy.
Following that important step, Annalise underwent 14 cycles of chemotherapy and became a familiar face in the Cancer Day Unit and Inpatient Unit at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH).
She also had a rib resection and reconstruction, requiring the removal of three ribs and part of her lung.
Treatment left her vulnerable to infection, and at one point she developed a serious blood condition called Klebsiella, which progressed to sepsis.
“I’d consider myself a tough person, but it really knocked me,” she said.
“I remember crying on the couch in complete darkness because my sinuses and eyes were in so much pain.
“I prayed a lot during that time. I just couldn’t fathom what had happened to me.”
For almost a year, home and hospital were the only places she could safely be.
Now, during Youth Cancer Awareness Month, Annalise is sharing her story in hopes of giving strength to other young people facing similar challenges.
She credits her mindset for carrying her through.
“I tried to think positively and focused on getting back to my normal self.”
She also expressed deep gratitude to the GCUH nurses and doctors who supported her throughout the ordeal.
“They were honestly the best,” she said.
“The people there made it a better experience, and they became like family.”
Since going into remission at the end of 2025, Annalise has returned to the gym and taken on part time administrative work, slowly rebuilding the life cancer tried to take from her.
But more than that, Annalise is embracing the future with the determination of someone who has already survived the unimaginable.
She hopes that by sharing her story, others will know they are not alone, and that even in the hardest battles there is always hope. 
