“When I heard the word cancer… I just thought, I’m going to die.”
“When I heard the word cancer… I just thought, I’m going to die.”
At just 27 years old, Jess Thompson has faced more trials than most. At 15 Jess’s perspective on life changed when her adored mother passed away suddenly in a horrible car accident
In March last year, she was given another reminder of just how precious life is when she ended up in hospital fighting for her life. A sizeable tumour had formed in Jess’s colon, blocking food from getting through her intestine. She needed immediate surgery to remove the tumour and assess the damage.
“During my colonoscopy, the room filled with silence… I burst into tears; I knew that something was wrong. They wheeled me into the waiting area, and nobody would make eye contact with me…”
But it wasn’t until Jess was alone, recovering from her surgery, that she was given the devastating news - cancer. Her worst fears were confirmed when two surrounding lymph nodes and some fat tissue also returned positive.
With the number of Kiwis facing cancer continuing to rise, we urgently need your help to meet the increasing need. Please support people facing cancer this Daffodil Day with your donation before the 25th of August.
Going through chemotherapy, Jess didn’t have the support of loving parents to lean on. And despite having a wonderful group of supportive friends, going through cancer in your 20s is not something everyone can understand. For Jess, that’s where the trusted support of Cancer Society Supportive Care Nurse Sandra proved invaluable.
“The ongoing support from [the Cancer Society] and having somebody on the other end of the phone that I could call at any time if I was feeling overwhelmed or scared or needed answers to questions – it’s really invaluable. Having the Cancer Society there offering that support, it completely changes the experience and makes it so much easier, and they wouldn’t be able to do that without people funding them.”
Your donation can make all the difference today. Your gift ensures Cancer Society Supportive Care staff like Sandra can be there for every cancer patient, every step of the way.
