news, local-news, cancer, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, rural health, blayney, blayneyhealth, travel to sydney
When Blayney grandmother Marie Hoadley felt a painful lump in her mouth she thought that it was a mouth ulcer. Mrs Hoadley had missed some regular dental check-ups after moving towns and had also suffered a stroke which limited her ability to drive to her old clinic. That lump kept growing and when she finally got a chance to visit her dental clinic in Bathurst the simple dental check-up resulted in the discovery of stage four tongue cancer. “When I found a new local dentist, he looked at the lesion and said it was cancer. He said no one on this side of the Blue Mountains could help me and that Chris O’Brien Lifehouse was the place to go,” Mrs Hoadley said. A few days after what was a simple visit to the dentist, Mrs Hoadley and her daughter were in Sydney where they met with Professor Palme to discuss her treatment options. “Oral cancer is a potentially fatal disease that can affect anyone from young adults right through to the elderly. Without treatment, this cancer would have prematurely ended this active and otherwise healthy grandmother’s life,” Professor Palme said. Less than two weeks from the initial discovery in the dental chair, Mrs Hoadley was taken for radical head and neck cancer surgery, a day long procedure requiring a team of seven surgeons and many other supporting staff. While she is grateful for the swift response to her diagnosis, Mrs Hoadley wishes there were more treatment options closer to home. She hopes that in future, not-for-profit cancer centre Chris O’Brien Lifehouse will be supported to provide regional clinics for patients living out of major cities. “It’s overwhelming to have to come to Sydney, particularly for old people. The long distance and the isolation of COVID-19 is traumatic and just adds to the stress of the cancer diagnosis,” Mrs Hoadley said. While some oral cancers can be treated with surgery alone, due to its advanced stage she will need extra radiotherapy treatment after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. “I have a long tough road ahead, but I feel positive in my prognosis. The team at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse have made me feel so safe from day one, and I know I am in good hands,” Mrs Hoadley said. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: WHY NOT SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
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When Blayney grandmother Marie Hoadley felt a painful lump in her mouth she thought that it was a mouth ulcer.
Mrs Hoadley had missed some regular dental check-ups after moving towns and had also suffered a stroke which limited her ability to drive to her old clinic.
That lump kept growing and when she finally got a chance to visit her dental clinic in Bathurst the simple dental check-up resulted in the discovery of stage four tongue cancer.
“When I found a new local dentist, he looked at the lesion and said it was cancer. He said no one on this side of the Blue Mountains could help me and that Chris O’Brien Lifehouse was the place to go,” Mrs Hoadley said.
A few days after what was a simple visit to the dentist, Mrs Hoadley and her daughter were in Sydney where they met with Professor Palme to discuss her treatment options.
“Oral cancer is a potentially fatal disease that can affect anyone from young adults right through to the elderly. Without treatment, this cancer would have prematurely ended this active and otherwise healthy grandmother’s life,” Professor Palme said.
Less than two weeks from the initial discovery in the dental chair, Mrs Hoadley was taken for radical head and neck cancer surgery, a day long procedure requiring a team of seven surgeons and many other supporting staff.
While she is grateful for the swift response to her diagnosis, Mrs Hoadley wishes there were more treatment options closer to home.
She hopes that in future, not-for-profit cancer centre Chris O’Brien Lifehouse will be supported to provide regional clinics for patients living out of major cities.
“It’s overwhelming to have to come to Sydney, particularly for old people. The long distance and the isolation of COVID-19 is traumatic and just adds to the stress of the cancer diagnosis,” Mrs Hoadley said.
While some oral cancers can be treated with surgery alone, due to its advanced stage she will need extra radiotherapy treatment after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
“I have a long tough road ahead, but I feel positive in my prognosis. The team at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse have made me feel so safe from day one, and I know I am in good hands,” Mrs Hoadley said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
WHY NOT SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
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