Yvonne was living a busy, healthy life when her world shifted unexpectedly.
A registered nurse who ran several times a week, she had no warning signs that anything was wrong. Then one day, she noticed an odd pain and a small lump in her groin.
“I didn’t feel unwell at all, so I wasn’t expecting it to be anything serious,” she says.
Instead, Yvonne and her husband, Brian, were told she had cancer.
“When my doctor broke the news, I had to take my mask off because I couldn’t breathe. She said it was very rare and aggressive, and that she didn’t actually know the best person to refer me to.”
By chance, a connection through parkrun – a weekly community running event – helped Yvonne find a suitable oncologist quickly. Within two weeks of diagnosis, she had started chemotherapy.
While she’s deeply grateful for the speed of diagnosis and treatment, it took some time to overcome the shock.
“One moment I was working as a renal nurse, the next I was sitting in a chemo chair as a patient with something called ‘small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma’. I still can’t describe the disbelief; I am still processing the situation.
“I kept being told ‘it’s rare and aggressive’ over and over again – but specific information was really difficult to find. All the information I found was about more common cancers. I thought, surely somebody knows about this specific cancer and can tell me how this is going to play out?”
Doctors were unable to find a primary tumour, making the situation even more confusing.
Yvonne has since undergone six cycles of chemotherapy, radiotherapy to lesions in her groin and brain, and is now receiving immunotherapy on compassionate grounds – with very promising results.
She says the uncertainty that comes with a rare cancer diagnosis has been one of the hardest parts, as specialists try to explore available treatment options.
“So much of it is ‘try and see’. That’s hard when you’re someone who likes to plan ahead and know what will happen next. My oncologist reminded me that I should focus on one day at a time and spend my time doing the things I enjoy.”
One thing on Yvonne’s list is taking on the Kosi Challenge this March, alongside nine friends and family members.
“I specifically wanted to do a fundraiser for rare cancers and help raise awareness. There needs to be more support for people who are told they have a rare cancer diagnosis and are then left with very limited information or answers.
“Our team is called Friends with Altitude’. Some are flying in, and some of us are doing a road trip. It's been really exciting because it's given me something to focus on. We’ve got t-shirts printed and we’ve been training together – we’re all really looking forward to it. Everyone we’ve spoken to who’s done it has said we’re going to love it.”
Feeling well despite some challenging side effects, Yvonne is undaunted by the 10.5km trek uphill and is determined to reach the summit.
“We don’t care if it’s going to be tough. There are no time constraints on us so we’re just going to have a fun day out with friends. We’ll get each other to the top – then we’ll be so euphoric that coming back down won’t be a problem!”
Yvonne has already raised more than $9,500 towards the team total of $14,761 so far, largely due to individual messages and emails to friends, family and colleagues.
She now plans to expand her fundraising to a wider audience, sharing the challenge on Facebook and putting up some posters with a QR code.
“The support I’ve received so far has been phenomenal; I’ve had some very generous donations. If I'm feeling a bit low, it's nice to sit and read through the messages from donors. People genuinely care. I feel very lucky.”
