ABOUT US
Wayne Fa’asega – Community Ambassador
Concerned after the appearance of blood in his stool, our community ambassador Wayne Fa’asega headed off to the doctors.
His GP wasn’t dismissive about the possibility of bowel cancer but felt that the then 43-year-old was too young. Nonetheless, he put Wayne into the public health system where he had a colonoscopy.
He went through the usual thoughts after being told he had bowel cancer – “what’s happening here, why me, what am I in for” – but quickly shifted to a different outlook. “I was like, “oh well, we’ll deal with this in due course”,” he says.
Wayne and his wife Stephanie told their three sons of the diagnosis, preferring immediacy to waiting until “Dad was feeling bad and can’t do anything.”
At this point, Wayne made contact with Bowel Cancer New Zealand and was encouraged to join their online support group. It didn’t take him long to reap the benefits of this forum.
“Everyone is there to support each other,” he enthuses. “It’s directly aimed at people with bowel cancer and all the various stages, be it stage one, two, three, stage four if it’s spread around.”
Wayne’s willingness to give back and help others is what led to his role as a Bowel Cancer NZ community ambassador.
Tamsyn Cornwall – Community Ambassador
At just 31 years old, Tamsyn, our community ambassador, was diagnosed with Stage 3B bowel cancer in August 2020.
She had suffered from Inflammatory Bowel Disease for 22 years, and initially thought it was further symptoms of the IBD. “At first, I thought it was a flare up – a bad one, I definitely knew something was really wrong though.”
Unfortunately, this all happened during Auckland’s second lockdown. Tamsyn’s specialist organised a colonoscopy, and several polyps were discovered. She then was admitted to hospital straight away and recalls being very distraught as she was not only extremely overwhelmed, but Level 3 restrictions meant family and friends weren’t allowed into the hospital – so she felt very alone.
More tests ensued, including a CAT scan and MRI. Tamsyn then received a phone call from the hospital to come in and bring a support person, despite lockdown. “I thought, okay, something is really wrong because we weren’t allowed to bring anyone else at that stage. I knew it wasn’t going to be good news, so I’m very grateful that my Mum was with me. Being told that I had Stage 3B bowel cancer and would need surgery and possibly chemo was really full on.”
About a month later, Tamsyn had a subtotal colectomy to remove most of her large intestine, as well as an ileostomy (to create a stoma pouch or ‘bag’). “I always knew I might end up having that surgery anyway because of having IBD,” she says. “I’ve always tried to be as healthy as possible, taking care of myself – I eat healthily and keep active.”
Despite a lifetime of pain and the extremely tough few months behind her including undergoing chemo, Tamsyn is amazingly positive and resilient. “Of course I’ve cried many tears, but I actively choose to be happy and positive,” she explains. “I’m not grazing over the fact that things are tough – but it’s really nice to be able to enjoy the little things.”
“Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ is terrifying, but it has also given me a second lease on life. I have a great appreciation for my scars – they’re beautiful proof that I am alive and I’m here, which is very special.”
As a Bowel Cancer NZ community ambassador Tamsyn says, “Bowel cancer can be hard to talk about as it’s kind of ‘taboo’, and for many people, having these conversations can be challenging. I was lucky that I was already comfortable talking about these things. It’s so important to listen to your body if something different is going on – early detection is hugely helpful in terms of fighting the cancer.”
Tamsyn has been active on social media throughout her cancer journey. “I was quite scared to share my journey but I’ve had a really positive reaction, which I didn’t expect. That going through something so dark can also spread so much light is truly beautiful. It’s amazing being able to share my journey and inspire others in a positive way – and that they feel comfortable enough to talk to me.”
Rachael Ferguson – Community Ambassador
Less than two months after her wedding day, Rachael Ferguson, who’s super-fit and had competed in bodybuilding contests as recently as 2018, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer at just 32.
After visiting her GP last year because Rachael and her husband were planning to have a baby, she was sent for a blood test. It came back she was severely anaemic and had incredibly low iron levels. It was then Rachael realised she had recently noticed a little bit of blood in her stool. When she told her doctor the blood was bright red, they sent her for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which looks at the lower part of a person’s colon. That was when Rachael’s rectal cancer was discovered.
“Even now I can replay it perfectly in my head. It was like an out of body experience, just totally surreal,” she said. Aside from having bloating, dizziness, and bright red blood in stool – she felt perfectly healthy, ‘a million dollars’ before her diagnosis.
Rachael is a proud ambassador for our charity Bowel Cancer NZ, and is urging Kiwis to take note of unexplained fatigue, weight loss and changes with their bowel habits. She says blood in the stool more than once a week, stomach cramps and changes in bowel movements – however insignificant they may seem – are all signs that should be checked with a doctor.
As a healthy 32-year-old, Rachael says her diagnosis came as a shock, especially given she had next to no symptoms but found out the cancer had been in her body “for multiple years”. Her diagnosis at a young age was also a surprise.
There’s a message she wants to get out: bowel cancer doesn’t just happen to older people.
Jane Lowe – Move Your Butt Ambassador
Jane Lowe nearly lost her mother to bowel cancer. Her mum survived, but the experience has left her determined to help more Kiwis prevent and beat bowel cancer – which is why she has come on board as a Bowel Cancer NZ ambassador.
Jane’s mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2007, and it came as a shock to everyone, especially her mum. “Mum was a registered nurse and never got sick. In fact, she had no obvious symptoms. One night she felt slightly nauseated, then the next morning she rang me doubled over in great pain. She isn’t the sort of person who would call for no reason, so I leapt into my car, raced over there and called an ambulance.
She had emergency surgery on her colon – major surgery. She went in at 11am and was there until around 4am the next morning.” Jane’s mum ended up with a colostomy bag and had another seven stays in hospital in the following year, culminating in a colostomy reversal in 2008. “It was a really close call: we thought we were going to lose her,” says Jane.
Unfortunately, bowel cancer runs in the family. Jane’s paternal grandfather died of it, so she had a colonoscopy once she turned 50. However, Jane believes that lack of funding is a major barrier to people getting tested sooner: she had to wait for the public system, as her health insurance didn’t cover an elective colonoscopy.
“There’s so much support and fundraising for other types of cancers, bowel cancer really gets the short end of the stick, despite being New Zealand’s second biggest cancer killer. That’s why I really want to bring attention to it.”
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”13″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_height=”240″ thumbnail_crop=”0″ number_of_columns=”2″]
Joanna Sharpe – Community Ambassador
Ultra-endurance cyclist, Joanna Sharpe, is a staunch ambassador of Bowel Cancer New Zealand and always has an epic challenge on the go. She became involved with the charity after becoming close friends with former professional cyclist Britt Mill (nee Chambers) who passed away at age 33 from bowel cancer in 2020.
“She was sunshine, she was exciting, kind and caring and for all of those reasons we struck up a really strong friendship.”
Joanna also had pre-cancerous polyps detected and removed through a colonoscopy a few years ago and said she felt incredibly fortunate to have avoided bowel cancer.
In February 2021 Joanna became the first woman to complete The Long White Ride, which demands participants to cycle the length of New Zealand almost non-stop. She rode over 2,100km, biking from Cape Reinga to Bluff in six days and nine hours. She says records (like a Guinness world record) are nice to have but her main reason for sitting in the saddle for just under a week was to help raise awareness for Bowel Cancer New Zealand.
“For me, the main driver for this is that I had a good friend, Britt Mill, who through misdiagnosis by medical professionals meant that she received a terminal diagnosis for bowel cancer in her early 30s. And to me that is traumatising. There’s no need for that.
“If my pain brought the attention to a cause that meant one family didn’t have to experience losing a loved one, it would be all worth it. That was honestly what kept me going.”
Along the ride, Joanna recalls seeing a number of people who had lost loved ones coming out to show support.
“It actually chokes me up to even talk about it now. I remember a particular mum and dad, they were there with a photo of their son who had passed away from bowel cancer. They were there just to thank me for raising awareness.”
Joanna says her own experience a couple of years ago with a potential bowel cancer scare was how people should be treated.
“I was suffering from extreme bloating. When I say extreme, you could have mistaken me for being late term with twins. I had huge changes to my bowel habits, I was suffering from cramping and spasms that were so severe I could neither sit down or stand up.”
So Joanna went to her doctor and they sent her to a gastroenterologist straight away. “They found precancerous polyps in my colon which they removed. It was so easy. I was sedated and couldn’t even tell you I was having a colonoscopy.”
But that was not the case for her close friend, who spent the last 18 months of her life raising awareness among young people.
“Britt had all of the same symptoms, together with fatigue. She experienced a lot of weight loss and went to the doctors for six years and was repeatedly told it was anxiety, it was irritable bowel syndrome, you name it, they suggested it.
“By the time she got an accurate diagnosis, unfortunately, the bowel cancer was so advanced that it was terminal. So I think Britt and I give you complete opposite sides of the spectrum of what can happen.”
Natalie Reynolds – Community Ambassador
A week after her 26th birthday, when her baby was just 15 months old, Natalie Reynolds was diagnosed with stage two bowel cancer. Not surprisingly, the diagnosis was a total shock.
Natalie strongly believes that the lack of conversation around normal bowel habits contributes massively to the 1200+ Kiwis who die of bowel cancer every year. After a two-year battle, Natalie swore to make it her mission to get more New Zealanders “talking about their poo”.
Natalie believes a national screening program is vital, as well as complete transparency between family members about genetic disorders that could increase bowel cancer risk. She also believes that GPs need to realise that this deadly disease can affect anyone, at any age.
In 2016, Natalie created two events for bowel cancer awareness month – partly to get people talking about New Zealand’s most common cancer and also to raise funds for BCNZ. She’s very excited about working with the team at BCNZ and about turning such a devastating event into something positive.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”10″ display=”basic_thumbnail” number_of_columns=”2″]
Northland Region
Kevin Biggar – Move Your Butt Ambassador
Adventurer, TV presenter and motivational speaker, Kevin Biggar, recently and suddenly lost his mother to bowel cancer. He believes that an earlier diagnosis might have made a difference so he’s determined to see a nationwide screening programme put in place – and to help educate others on the importance of getting checked early.
He says his Mum (aged 72) seemed in good health but ‘she hadn’t been herself’. She went to the GP who started to run some tests. “Then, one afternoon, she called me up and said that the pain in her stomach was so bad, she wanted to drive herself to hospital. I drove her there … and she never left. She was diagnosed the next day with terminal, very advanced bowel cancer. Three weeks later, she was moved to hospice, and went downhill from there.
So my advice to others is … don’t let it happen to you,” says Kevin. “ If you have any symptoms, don’t dismiss them – go and see your GP. And make certain that he or she takes bowel cancer seriously.”
Watch Kevin’s video below
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”7″ display=”basic_thumbnail” number_of_columns=”2″]
