After five years of living in Australia, all of Lisbett Lillo's carefully-laid plans appeared to be falling into place.
The 33-year-old Chilean national found a job she loved last October, working on a vegetable farm in central Gippsland as a tractor driver.
Lillo, who previously studied to become an engineer in Chile's capital Santiago, said she had never even seen a tractor before she started working in agriculture as part of her Australian journey four years ago.
But it was pretty much love at first sight, she said.
"The first time I drove a tractor, I just felt that it was right and I absolutely fell in love with it.
"I also love learning about how produce is made and the care that you need to take to make something grow."
Lillo's Dutch partner, Puck Witjes, also found a job on the same farm and their employers indicated they were keen to sponsor them for a visa that would help the couple achieve their dream - permanent residency.
"Many people think about the American dream and going to the US to work over there. For me, it's always been the Australian dream," Lillo said.
"I love everything about this place, especially where I'm living right now."
Last December, however, all of Lillo's hopes came crashing down because of a single, terrifying diagnosis.
Lillo said she was at work on a seemingly ordinary day, when she noticed something usual.
"All of a sudden, I felt something in my armpit," Lillo said.
"It was a big lump. I could feel that it was the size of a golf ball."
A doctor sent Lillo for tests.
"At the beginning, nobody thought that it was cancer because I'm too young," she said.
But an ultrasound and a mammogram confirmed the bad news.
Lillo was diagnosed with stage-four metastatic breast cancer, as the disease had spread to her lymph nodes and the lining of her lungs.
Lillo needed to undergo chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment.
As a temporary resident, Lillo is not eligible for Medicare and she does not yet know what proportion of her medical bills her insurer will cover.
An online fundraiser set up by the Sale medical centre - where Lillo is being treated - has so far raised more than $20,000 to help the "bubbly and warm hearted" worker.
Adding to Lillo's stress is the looming deadline of when her current COVID visa will expire - just a few months away in October.
Applicants with cancer generally don't usually pass the health requirements for permanent residency, making it unlikely she will be allowed to stay in the country.
"I feel like my dream has been taken away from me," she said.
"It is cruel in a way. I've been working constantly for the past five years in this country, and in the farm industry for four years.
"Even in the hardest times during COVID, I was here working.
"But now, in Australia, I'm just seen as a person with a disease, not a person who can still work and do stuff.
However, Lillo said she was unwilling to give up on her dream just yet.
Although her health is still not 100 percent, she is back at work.
Her partner has since been granted a four-year skills shortage visa, which will allow him to apply for permanent residency.
Although it is a long shot, Lillo said she planned to apply as a defacto to his visa, which would require a health waiver.
In order to be approved for a health waiver, Lillo will need to outline a plan to cover her own medical costs related to her cancer.
Contact reporter Emily McPherson at emcpherson@nine.com.au
