I’ve always been a very positive and optimistic person, and when I was diagnosed with stage IV rectal cancer, I knew that my attitude was going to make the biggest difference to my treatment and to those I love, and their attitudes in getting me through the battle. I made the decision to do everything possible to ensure I was as resilient as I could be to combat this illness, which included practicing gratitude and mindfulness.
After my diagnosis, I became aware that there’s a strong focus on fundraising for cancer research and finding a cure, which is fantastic. Inspired, I decided to create the Floozie Foundation. With the support of family and friends, this idea is now a reality.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis and the treatment (and often surgery) that follows is one of the toughest things most people will ever go through, and there’s a great deal of support provided by the doctors and nurses who work in this field.
Though with the significant number of people being diagnosed with cancer, I felt that the mental wellbeing and quality of life of adult cancer patients could be further improved. The number of cancer care nurses has increased in recent years, which is wonderful, but given the volumes of patients these amazing people are still overworked, and there are services that could be implemented in our communities to decrease the load on cancer care nurses and patients’ support networks, particularly in rural communities.
