When Colleen Roberts went to her GP about gallstones, a cancer diagnosis was far from front of mind. Although she had no symptoms, testing showed that Roberts had cancer in the lower part of her stomach.
Swift action soon followed - pre-surgery chemotherapy, followed by a partial gastrectomy, followed by more chemotherapy. By July 2022, Colleen was back at work and back to the busy life she knew.
“My initial cancer journey was aggressive,” remembers Colleen, “there was treatment and surgery so I just hunkered down. The gastrectomy led to major changes, physical changes as well as needing to focus on nutrition that supported that, but once it was completed, I went back to my previous lifestyle. I felt I had fantastic friends and family - I didn’t need further support.”
But by July 2023, the cancer had returned. Colleen discovered that she now had multiple abdominal tumors and any further treatment would be palliative. The news prompted Colleen and her husband to move back to Rotorua.
“I had a major lifestyle change. I gave up working to start a new life – it was my retirement, basically. Rotorua is where we were always going to come back to. We have the family here and my husband retired at the same time.”
Undergoing a long-term chemotherapy regime was difficult for Colleen at first and she admits that her physical and mental health took a beating.
“After one year of the treatment, I sort of hit the wall a little bit because the cumulative effects of chemotherapy started to hit. I got quite down. The main side effect for me is the fatigue and the more you have, the longer it lasts.
“It’s not obvious, these sorts of effects. A lot of people say ‘you’re looking well’ but you’re certainly not feeling it. I discussed stopping the treatment with my oncologist but then I found out how it actually worked. It hits the cells and the treatment does its thing but then after the two weeks, the cells start recovering so I needed to keep to the treatment schedule.”
Initially, Colleen says she stood back and didn’t look too much into what was going on. But as time went on and her mindset struggled to adjust, she realized that her way of looking at her future needed to change.
“I felt, with the prognosis, that I was dying of cancer but then I realized I was actually living with chemo. The cancer was being dealt with through the treatment and so I had an epiphany and thought what can I do to support this treatment? What can I do to participate rather than being passive and just dealing with the side effects? I realized that I didn’t know where to go for that information and that’s when I engaged with the Cancer Society.”
Colleen was connected with Claire Gower-James, a Cancer Care Navigator based in Rotorua. The support was, she says, a gamechanger.
“Claire’s response was absolutely amazing in that her support was immediate. Just hearing me and being able to say we’ve got this. Everything she gave me was fantastic. The weekly walking group, the monthly support group, the massage, the links to meditation, reading materials, resources. There were things specific to my cancer which I hadn’t really accessed before.
“Emotional support is the hugest thing – asking ‘what are you feeling?’ instead of ‘how are you feeling?’ so that people understand what is actually happening. I don’t need to sleep – that’s not the sort of rest I need. I want to still be active and doing things.”
The support group, in particular, has given Colleen a huge boost and she says that attending has helped give her purpose.
“There is an understanding there of how you’re feeling. Everybody is in a different place and going through different aspects, and so it’s really positive if you want to talk about those sorts of things. The effect on my wellbeing has been huge. It has turned everything around in my mindset and reframed it all.”
Colleen’s cancer has been responding to treatment since December 2023 and she is immensely grateful that it continues to be held at bay.
“I was seeing everything as really negative and that was putting a negative spin on the treatment and how it was working. With this support, it has flipped. I’m grateful, I’m trying things. Claire is very compassionate, very knowledgeable and understanding. From my point of view, this support is vital. This is life affecting, life-changing support. Without it, it would be really hard for me to continue. It’s not just support, it’s treatment.”
To speak to a Cancer Care Navigator like Claire, please refer yourself to the Cancer Society by phoning 0800 226 237 or fill in the form here.
"I realized I was actually living with chemo. The cancer was being dealt with through the treatment and so I had an epiphany and thought what can I do to support this treatment?