Photos: Maree Wilkinson
Looking back on her shocking ovarian cancer diagnosis, Tauranga mother Celia Farnworth can see there were signs that something wasn’t right.
However, multiple doctors’ visits over several months for irregular periods, lower back pain, bloating and lumps in her stomach were attributed to other conditions, like perimenopause and ulcers.
And despite the assorted symptoms, Celia still largely felt fine. She even walked a half-marathon in the weeks before finding out.
“I’m extremely fortunate that they caught it when they did because I didn’t feel very sick,” shares Celia, 38, who didn’t realise her reduced appetite was another ovarian cancer indicator. “I was busy living life as a single mum of three until this brought everything to a halt.
“One of the main symptoms talked about is bloating. I wasn’t bloated until three days before I was diagnosed and by that point, it had already metastasised everywhere and was stage 3C.”
It was after visiting a third GP in April last year, this time for persistent lower back pain, that Celia was sent to hospital with suspected appendicitis.
Instead, a CT scan revealed she had a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer and it was spreading rapidly.
“I thought they were going to tell me I needed my appendix taken out, so I went into absolute shock, thinking, ‘This is really bad. Am I going to survive?’”
With no time to lose, Celia started three months of chemotherapy. While it was very effective, she says the extensive and excruciating side-effects of treatment have been the hardest part. They’ve included vomiting, exhaustion, hair loss, ulcers, nerve damage and the blood-flow condition Raynaud’s disease.
“Then I had surgery, a radical hysterectomy to remove my ovaries, uterus, cervix and Fallopian tubes. They also removed my omentum [a layer of tissue in front of the stomach], part of my peritoneum, [the membrane covering the abdominal organs], part of my diaphragm, my appendix, and they scraped the cancer cells off my liver, bladder and bowel.”
Despite the harrowing ordeal, Celia has nothing but praise for the medical professionals who cared for her – “They saved my life” – and will never forget her devoted community of family, friends and colleagues, who rallied around helping with meals, childcare and support.
“We would have never been able to get through it without all of those people. There’s no way I can thank them enough for what they’ve done,” says Celia. She’s Zespri Kiwifruit’s group finance manager. Most of all, she wants to acknowledge her children Maya, nine, Indie, seven, and Hunter, four.
“They’ve been so resilient. So many times, I just wanted to give up. Then I looked at my kids and found a way to get through. I still need my own mum and dad so much, and I don’t want my kids not to have that when they grow up. So the goal is for them to have me around to help raise their children one day. That’s what really kept me going.”
Talking to the Weekly for Dry July, where people give up alcohol for a month while raising funds to help Kiwis with cancer, Celia shares how physiotherapy has been unexpectedly life-changing.
“After my surgery, I felt like I couldn’t do anything,” she says. “I was too scared to even go for a walk. Then my oncologist suggested I see a psychologist and do physiotherapy through [cancer rehabilitation provider] Pinc & Steel [one of Dry July’s recipient charities].
“I signed up not really wanting to go, but it was amazing. My physiotherapist Shannon showed me that my body still works. I can go for a walk, do squats and paddleboard.”
Meeting other women in recovery who truly understood what she’d been through, especially losing her hair and experiencing medically-induced menopause, had a profound impact.
She says, “It was really transformative being able to talk to these beautiful women. They have little children just like me, like, ‘Wow! I actually belong with these people.’”
For now, Celia has clear results. While she doesn’t know what the future holds, she’s delighted to be well enough to share her story. “When I was in chemotherapy, I would flick through magazines all the time. I clung on to people’s cancer journey stories because they had been through it and come out the other side.”
Smiling, she continues, “I’m hoping someone else will read my story, and get some hope for themselves to not give up and know there can be positive outcomes.”
To find out more, sign up or donate to Dry July, visit dryjuly.co.nz
Ovarian cancer symptoms
Most people will only experience one or two of these symptoms at first.
- Eating less and feeling fuller.
- Bloating.
- Abdominal, pelvic or back pain.
- Needing to wee more or urgently.
- Bowel habit changes.
- Fatigue.
Learn more at ovariancancerfoundation.org.nz/
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