The then 34 year-old mother of two was having her daughter Addyson checked for croup when the doctor questioned her about her rapid weight loss.

"I had lost about 22 kilograms without trying," Naomi said.

"But I wasn't going to the doctor's for myself - I was there for my daughter."

Further questioning from the GP led to concern over what Naomi had written off as swollen glands in her neck.

But these her doctor told he were in the wrong part of the neck to be glands, but rather were swollen lymph nodes, bundles of white blood cells which swelled in response to bodily infections.

The increasingly concerned doctor sent Naomi for a CT scan, which showed a mass in her chest.

From there she was quickly diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a rare blood cancer affecting about 400 Australians each year.

Just five days later, Naomi began undergoing the first of six cycles of chemotherapy, over a span of about four and a half months.

This was followed by five-days a week of radiation therapy tot he chest and neck for a period of four weeks.

While scans revealed the cancer was inactive, Naomi said she faced a wait of wait of at least five years before it was placed into remission.

"All my oncologist says is that it's inactive," she said.

"I have to head scans at the moment every three months. 

"All being well that will become every six months, but I will always have to be monitored.

"It will be a continuous watching over my shoulder thinking it could pop up again.

"It's a bit of a reality check that it can come back anytime."

Naomi said her cancer journey taught her many things, among them listening to what your body is trying to tell you, and the value of true friends.

"They say when you go through something like this you find out who your good friends are," she said.

"I wouldn't wish it (cancer) upon anyone.

It was a hard six months, but when you finish treatment, that's when you need people the most."

Settled back into life at Lockwood South, Naomi said she was now focused on raising awareness of lymphoma and blood cancers.

Hodgkin's lymphoma remains one of Australia's most rare cancers, accounting for only .5 per cent of all cancer types diagnosed.

Most recent statistics from Cancer Council Victoria show 90 people were diagnosed with lymphoma in the City of Greater Bendigo between 2011-2013 - 62 males and 28 females.

"So many people are touched by cancer," Naomi said.

"But so many people I talk to about lymphoma say 'that's not a cancer' - not many people know about it.

"My mission now is to raise awareness of lymphoma because it doesn't get the attention that other cancers do and I get that.

"But lymphoma is just as frightening."

To achieve that aim, Naomi and a group of friends with Kangaroo Flat roots have teamed up to take part in the Legs out for Lymphoma walk in Melbourne on November 22.

Calling themselves the Lymphomanics, the group of about 20 has been busy fundraising for Lymphoma Australia.

They have raised more about $6000 so far, including the proceeds of a Christmas in July trivia night, regular sausage sizzles on the first Saturday of each month at IGA in Kangaroo Flat and other donations.

More fundraisers are planned in the lead-up to the walk.

The spotlight will shine firmly on the disease during World Lymphoma Awareness Day on September 15.

To follow the team on Facebook, visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lymphomaniacs/844211505644670?fref=ts

To help with fundraising, visit: https://www.lymphoma.org.au/my-fundraising/23/legs-out-for-lymphoma-melbourne-lymphomaniacs

HODGKIN’S lymphoma is a relatively rare type of lymphoma first identified in the 1830s by English doctor Thomas Hodgkin.

About 400 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in Australia. It accounts for about .5 per cent of cancer types diagnosed, but is more common than other blood cancers, including leukaemia and multiple myeloma.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is most likely to occur to people:

Between the ages of 15-25 years old, or after the age of 65.

In young adults, it occurs in similar numbers of male and females.

In older adults, it is more likely to occur.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is slightly more likely to occur in people who have had glandular fever and those with a relative who has the blood cancer.

Symptoms include pianless lymph node enlargement, fevers, night sweats, fatigue and unexplained weight loss, widespread itching, nausea, vomiting, abdomnal pain, shortness of breath, headaches, vision changes, anaemia and susceptibility to infections, including shingles.

Often there are no symptoms present, making diagnosis difficult.

Rates of lymphoma are increasing about 4 per cent per year. Over the last 20 years the number of cases in Australia has doubled.

Source: Lymphoma Australia