‘Cathie was typically stoic and, as her diagnosis was somewhat inconclusive, we optimistically hoped that the tumour might have been a secondary metastasis from a potentially more treatable primary colon cancer.’
Real lives
PAUL AND WENDY JEANS
Paul and Wendy Jeans’ daughter Cathie was a vibrant, fit and busy wife and mother of three teenage boys. She was approaching her 49th birthday when she was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer at the end of 2014. ‘Cathie had had occasional abdominal pain and bloating and some gastric reflux, which was thought perhaps to have been gall bladder-related, though not sufficiently worrying to her GP to have any tests done,’ said Paul Jeans.
Our family has always been very close and Wendy and I have been deeply involved in Cathie and her husband Joe’s life, holidaying together, looking after the boys. Cathie’s diagnosis of gall bladder cancer and prognosis of only six months was just devastating.
DARIN MALLAWARACHCHI
In 2012, doting grandad, Darin Mallawarachchi, age 59, was at home carrying his grandson when he slipped on the staircase and hit his tailbone. The ensuing scan revealed a 3cm chordoma tumour, a rare type of bone cancer, on the sacrum, the triangular bone just above the bottom tip of the spine. Darin had been in good health, going to the gym and very active. ‘Although I was lucky that the tumour was detected very early, it was still such a shock,’ said Darin.
‘We are a very close family – I have three grown-up daughters, and three grandchildren with another on the way. My whole family is very worried, and stressed.’
ZARA D'COTTA
Zara D’Cotta was diagnosed with breast cancer nine days before her 30th birthday – and then two years later, she was diagnosed with a melanoma on the morning of her breast cancer anniversary.
I’d been for a walk along the St Kilda foreshore at sunrise to commemorate it and reflect on how far I had come. It finally all seemed like a distant memory, but life can change so quickly. I spent my second birthday in three years recovering from surgery, waiting to find out if my cancer had spread.