Julie’s Story

My Cancer Story – Julie 

I was diagnosed with cancer on the 5th of December 2023. At first, I didn’t realise how serious it was — I thought I’d just pulled a muscle in my shoulder after being knocked about during a storm the night before. I couldn’t lie down without pain, so I went to Boggabri Hospital, where I was living at the time. 

My lovely doctor there decided to do an X-ray on my lung, then a scan, and she didn’t like what she saw. I was sent to a lung specialist in Tamworth, and from there to Newcastle for a PET scan. That’s when I learned the truth — little red spots all over my body. Red spots mean cancer. 

When I got back, my doctor held my hands and said, “Julie, I’m sorry, but you have stage four mutated cancer.” She explained it wasn’t like it started in one place and spread — it had just popped up everywhere: in my brain, lung, and pelvis. The good news was, I could live with it as long as the medication worked. And so far, it still is — I’ve now been living with it for 19 months. 

At first, I was put on a medication that made me very ill. I ended up in hospital every fortnight with dehydration, surviving only on pureed apple, custard, soup, and jelly for three months. My new treatment is just one small blue tablet each morning, and thankfully, it’s working well. 

Telling the Family
That first Christmas was hard. I didn’t tell my family right away. On Christmas Day, after lunch, I finally said, “Don’t move, I’ve got something to say. I have cancer — in my brain, lung, and pelvis.” My mum asked if I was joking. I told her, “Sure, Mum, I like to joke about cancer.” My dad just went pale. I told them I didn’t want too many questions yet — I was still trying to come to terms with it myself. 

I cried for a couple of weeks, then told myself, “Christ, I’m not going to get rid of it, so I’d better get on with living.” I still have days where I think, “Why doesn’t it just kill me and be done with it?” but I push through. 

Treatment & Changes
Since my diagnosis, I’ve had one round of radiation on my pelvis, which eased a lot of pain I thought was just a pinched sciatic nerve or arthritis. Recently, scans showed cancer in my ovaries, and my specialist wants them removed via laparoscopic surgery in Newcastle. 

Before all this, I worked in childcare, disability care, and aged care — from newborns to the nearly gone. I’ve looked after over 120 children in my lifetime and loved it. I had to stop working when the illness and treatment drained my energy. By mid-afternoon, I need a nap — not ideal for childcare, unless the kids looked after me instead! 

Support
I’m blessed with support from my parents, brother, and my wonderful support workers. My brother drives me to Tamworth because I’m not allowed to drive. One of my support workers told me about Can Assist, and they’ve been incredible — helping me with the costs for my many trips to treatment. I don’t think I would have lasted this long without them. I couldn’t have asked for more helpful, lovely people to help me. 

Message to Can Assist
To Can Assist — Happy 70th birthday! I can’t believe you’ve been around that long, considering I’ve only known about you for just over a year. You deserve to have a party all over Australia. Thank you for all you do, from the bottom of my heart.