“I was ready to give up… it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life.
In 2019, Cancer Council provided Kellie with more support than she ever knew she could need after her world was turned upside down by a cervical cancer diagnosis, two years after losing her dad to prostate cancer.
After experiencing some bleeding and symptoms, Kellie booked in to have a pap smear. The test came back showing some abnormalities, so she went on for further testing which led to a diagnosis of cervical cancer on 6 May 2019.
They told me that they found a 3cm aggressive tumour in my cervix and then I was referred onto an oncology team,"Kellie explains.
“That was the beginning of my journey.”
From there, Kellie was referred to an oncology team.
“They couldn't decide as to whether they wanted me to have another surgery, because the surgery I had wasn’t what you would normally have for cervical cancer. Normally they take a lot more than what I had taken.
“But because I'd only had surgery recently, and such an invasive surgery at that, they were a bit worried that it was going to be too much for my body. So, they said we would just go with radiation and chemotherapy.”
Two weeks later, Kellie found herself on the operating table again, having her ovaries moved. And two weeks after that, her gruelling treatment schedule started. And that’s when she relied on Cancer Council the most.
Kellie started treatment at hospital, which was hours away from home, it was there she was connected with Cancer Council. She was having treatment every day—radiation five days a week, and chemotherapy once a week.
“It is really hard, treatment is not an easy thing,” she says.
“They give you an idea of what treatment is going to be like, but it’s not really anything on what it’s going to be like.
“That first week of treatment was probably one of the hardest things. I was ready to give up… it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. But it was my family. I was doing it, not just for myself, for my kids and for my husband.
Nurses in the hospital who told me about Cancer Council. They said because I lived a few hours away from the hospital and was having treatment five days a week, that it was easier for me to stay closer to the hospital.”
So, Kellie stayed at the Cancer Council Lodge closest to the hospital she was receiving treatment at. A support service made possible with the generosity of everyday Australians.
“I’m so thankful for this because if I didn’t have this I would have been driving, and had to have someone driving me, every day,” she says.
“It was nice to know there was somewhere you can stay, and the people there are amazing, everyone genuinely cares—they’re so compassionate and caring.
“From my experience, I don’t think the world could do without Cancer Council, it’s just amazing.”
Kellie is grateful that she listened to her body, and for the support and services she accessed through Cancer Council during her treatment, treatment that saved her life.
Now, Kellie is cancer free and giving back to Cancer Council where she can to help others through their treatment. Will you give back too this Daffodil Day?
