Stories from the mag Reading what other people have been through and how they've coped can help you with your own challenges. To read any one of these stories in full, pick up a copy of LifeSupport at your local newsagent or buy a copy online by clicking here.
Justine Chilman-Moore
"...go through the professionals and they'll try and put you in touch with other carers." In 2005, Justine Chilman-Moore’s husband Ashleigh was diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck. Last year he received more bad news when lung cancer was detected. Here Justine talks about the challenges of supporting Ashleigh and the children while trying to maintain her own strength.
Robyn Spillane
"That's how we remember her - for the person she was, not the illness. For the laughter and the love." Marie O’Brien was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Later, she moved in with her sister Robyn Spillane who helped care for her through her last months. Here, Robyn talks about how Marie's family saw her funeral as an opportunity to celebrate her enthusiasm and love of life.
Kate
"In a strange way we're better off now than we were before." Kate was 44 and mum to a toddler when she found a lump in her breast in 2004. She had six months of chemotherapy, then chemo medication, a lumpectomy and six weeks’ radiotherapy. Here she talks about how working through breast cancer and depression has ultimately led to a more satisfying life and career.
Ian Smith
"Within a month, I was back to normal." In 2004, Ian Smith had his prostate removed. Now 70, he is part of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and started its awareness campaign of signs in barber shops. Here he discusses his own experience of the side effects of prostate surgery.
Julie Pacifique
"He asked me to make his bed. I said, 'I thought you had cancer, I didn't realise you had two broken arms.'" When 13-year-old Jacques was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 his mum, Julie Pacifique, and the entire family pulled together to beat the disease. Here she talks about keeping family life on track with love, humour and resolve.
Jane Alliker
"Many patients drank ginger and lemon tea or ginger beer to help with nausea." While doing volunteer work at the Sydney Cancer Foundation at RPA, Jane Alliker found herself talking at length with cancer patients about food. After retiring, she compiled a collection of their recipes and tips.
Lynette Beattie
"Exercise is good for fatigue. You mightn't feel like doing it, but you feel better afterwards." Lynette Beattie is no stranger to the fatigue caused by treatment for cancer. She had surgery and her first round of chemotherapy when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008. Recently she commenced a second round of chemo when cancer was found in several lymph nodes. Here she talks about managing fatugie with exercise, diet, rest and naturopathy.
Lisa Deans
"The results are speaking for themselves. The doctor says they're the results of the chemotherapy but, I'm sorry, there's more to it than that." After receiving a pessimistic assessment of her prospects from her surgeon, Lisa Deans decided it was time to shrug off the denial that had accompanied her first two bouts of cancer and take some personal responsibility for her health and wellbeing. Here she discusses how changing her outlook seems to be changing her outcomes.
Donna Buss
"I think the reality hit when the hair came out. Even though I have incredible, supportive friends and family, nobody really knew." In November 2010, Donna Buss felt a lump in her left breast. Since then she has had a partial mastectomy, a round of chemotherapy, gone through early menopause and, to her disappointment, lost her hair. Here Donna talks about ‘cold cap’ treatment (taken to reduce the chance of hair loss) and the great benefits of attending a Look Good… Feel Better workshop.
Caroline Bernardi
"I couldn't believe it. The cancer had completely cleared in eight weeks." Caroline Bernardi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the end of 2008, but a new targeted therapy had an incredible effect. As her lung cancer was inoperable, Caroline completed three cycles of chemotherapy – but there was no significant improvement. The 44 year old was then offered a clinical trial, testing a drug that was not on the market. Here Caroline tells the extraordinary story of the treatment's success.
John Stubbs
"I put myself in a good place mentally from the beginning." When John Stubbs needed a stem-cell transplant, he was fortunate enough to match with a marrow donor from Baltimore in the United States, a woman unknown to him then and now. The transplant with donor stem cells was a success. Ten years later, John is fit and healthy, going to the gym three days a week. Here he talks in some detail about the experience.
Vince Riviere
"I rode a bike for 80 kilometres after the first week [of radiotherapy], but a few days later I was eating a pizza and it just wouldn’t go down. I struggled from then on." A fit man in his 20s, Vince Riviere found two months of radiotherapy to be a hard slog. Vince found a lump on his neck in 2007, but thought he’d picked up a parasite on a recent trip to South America. Only after 12 months of nagging did Vince have the lump checked. It turned out to be advanced stage 4 thyroid cancer. Here Vince describes the impact radiotherapy and radioactive iodine treatment had on his body.
Sue Opie
"Even in the last five years, the drugs have improved so much." Sue Opie was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma at age 44 after discovering lumps in her groin and neck. It’s a slow-growing cancer, but she was given immediate chemotherapy and a specific treatment called MabThera (rituximab). Here she talks about her feelings before starting chemotherapy – and her experiences during 18 weeks of treatment.
Kate Jennings
“You can’t do anything else. You feel as if you put your life on hold until the treatment’s finished." Kate Jennings was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and advised to undergo immediate surgery. Living on the NSW Central Coast, there were no local surgeons available so she travelled to Sydney for treatment. After surgery, Kate continued commuting, initially for chemotherapy and then radiotherapy. The drive was exhausting, but Kate explains here that she considers herself fortunate.
Jonathon Este
"It was terrific to get some good news. It was a real ‘woo-hoo’ moment." When Jonathan Este was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year, it kicked off a roller-coaster ride. He and his wife, Max, had been keen to start a family but, suddenly, making a baby would involve sperm banks and IVF.
Ashleigh Moore
“When you become a full-time patient, you’re living in a world of uncertainty, so always question things, always be vigilant." After surviving a stage 4 head and neck cancer in 2005, Ashleigh Moore returned to hospital for a routine check-up in 2010, only to be diagnosed with lung cancer after being misdiagnosed originally. Here Ashleigh shares his thoughts on the attitudes that can help get you through.
Jane Barrett
"Any diagnosis should be given empathically, looking at the whole person and what they have to cope with once they walk out that door.” An enthusiastic hiker, Jane Barrett was in New Zealand when she became concerned about her fitness. Each day the steep track seemed harder to climb. Here Jane shares her experience of seeking a second opinion.
Scott and Cindy Pullen
"It was a stressful time for the whole family as there was that uncertainty." When 47-year-old Scott Pullen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009, his two children, Zoe and Jesse, were aged just nine and eight. Scott’s wife, Cindy, says that the time of the cancer diagnosis was “a bit of a blur”. But she clearly recalls the children’s reaction to Scott’s condition when he returned home from hospital after the operation to remove the cancer.
Jo-Anne Jorgensen
“Overall my journey was less traumatic than I’d imagined – and I’ve even got used to low-alcohol wine and low-fat cheese.” Back in May 2009, Jo-anne Jorgensen felt a stabbing pain in the side of her breast. Scans found cancer. Facing the disease was daunting, but the single mum was most worried about looking after her son. Here she talks about how she managed to make it work.
Kylie Salisbury
"I didn’t feel as though I had to maintain a front at work, which meant I had the energy to maintain appearances at home for my son." As a casual worker and a single mum, Kylie Salisbury felt that she had no option but to stay at work through her treatment for cancer. Here she explains how a supportive work environment made all the difference.
Claire Wilkinson
"They gave me a three-week window before starting chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They said, ‘If you want to start IVF, you need to start today.’" Claire Wilkinson was 29 and single when a routine Pap smear found cervical cancer. She’d always dreamt of having kids, so her first question was about how it would affect her fertility. Here Claire talks about the experience of having her eggs frozen using a new procedure called vitrification and her hopes for a family in the future.
Jules Mackin
"You can't afford to feel that you're being needy because you do actually need people at that time." Just two weeks after running a half-marathon in 2008, Jules Mackin was diagnosed with cervical cancer and told she needed radical surgery – quickly. Jules had a hysterectomy and, as an extra precaution, the doctors removed lymph nodes in the area. After two years in the clear, she is fitter than ever. Here she talks about her surgery, her recovery and her plans for having a family in the future.
John Stead
"In terms of exercise and diet, you've got to be positive." John Stead was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, on the day he turned 60. It wasn’t his ideal birthday present, but he steeled himself for the biggest battle of his life. Four medical opinions later, John chose hormonal therapy in conjunction with external beam radiotherapy and a high dose of brachytherapy (a type of internal radiotherapy). Here he talks about what it was like to go through hormonal therapy.
Ruairi Maher
"I had fear going into the treatment... It's not a head cold if you know what I mean." Ten days after his wedding day in 2010, Irishman Ruairi Maher was diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Ruairi was immediately booked in for chemotherapy and a biological treatment called rituximab, which is administered over several hours through a drip into a vein. Allergic reactions are common and Ruairi’s run-in with rituximab was no exception. Here he talks about the side effects he experienced and how they were dealt with.
Roslyn Phillips
"After six weeks I felt completely back to normal. Now I'm looking after the grandkids again..." After four months of chemotherapy to treat her lung cancer, Roslyn Phillips was told to go home and talk to someone about dying. She joined a clinical trial instead. Roslyn saw Professor Michael Boyer at the Sydney Cancer Centre where tests revealed she was one of a very small group of people whose non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) contains a rearrangement of a gene called ALK. Here Roslyn shares her story of taking part in a clinical trial.
Jon Degner
"When the neuropathy first presented I'd stagger around like I was drunk, almost walking sideways instead of forwards. I was determined to push through it and keep walking." Jon Degner was successfully treated for advanced mantle cell lymphoma, but is now learning to live with nerve damage, most likely brought on by the radiation treatment he received. Here he talks about his peripheral neuropathy and what he does to cope with nerve damage to his feet and lower legs.
Brenda Hendricks
"I like the camaraderie I find in [my yoga] class. You feel like you're among other people who understand." For the last five years, Brenda Hendricks has battled brain cancer. Here she talks about how attending an Iyengar yoga class with other cancer patients has helped ease the stress and anxiety.
Letchemi Pillai
"Eating is very much trial and error." Waikerie-based nurse Letchemi Pillai was cleared of breast cancer in September 2009, but 15 months later was found to have stage 1 stomach cancer. Here she talks about how surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are affecting her ability to eat and how she manages to keep up her food intake.
Ken Miller
"I don't focus on negatives, including pain." Two years ago, Ken Miller was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and spinal cancer. Here he talks about his decision to say no to pain-killing drugs and his preference for other pain relief strategies including relaxation therapy, positive thinking... and the occasional beer.
Kathryn Crisell
"When you're diagnosed, your mind is so numb. You have massive chunks that don't compute and you do need someone to help do some of the thinking." Kathryn Crisell was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1997, and the diagnosis and treatment pushed her relationship to its limit. Here she talks candidly about the impact cancer had on her own relationship and the need for relationship counselling to be made available to all cancer patients.
Barb Galvin
"The most positive part of the experiences was feeling satisfied I'd done absolutely everything I could to help her..." When Barb Galvin’s mother, Shirley, had a tumour removed from her colon in 2004 Barb stepped in, caring for Shirley through three operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy until her passing in 2006. Here she talks about the hard work of being a carer ... and the rewards.
Sophie Guenanain
"I've had really good follow-up from everybody and that gives me peace of mind." Sophie Guenanain, 29, had surgery to remove cervical cancer 18 months ago. Sophie had surgery to remove her cervix and, 10 days later, was given the all-clear. That was 18 months ago. Here she discusses how three-monthly check-ups help to relieve her lingering anxiety - and confesses to the occasional freak-out.
Chris Boyd
"I wanted to live life like I wouldn't have dared to before." Chris Boyd was just 20 when he was diagnosed with cancer in February 2009. Here he reflects on how the experience profoundly altered his outlook on life.
Ian Davison
"Our role is to salvage whatever reasons for optimism and happiness, however trivial, we can..." When Ian Davison asked his wife, Harriet, how she wanted to spend the days ahead, she replied, “I’m doing what I want to do; I just want to keep doing it for as long as possible.” A respected alpaca breeder, Harriet exhibited her alpacas at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show just days before she passed away with ovarian cancer in 2010. Here, Ian looks back on that sad and tender time.