Relay for Life chance to give back
To say Maria Bartlett has had a tough few years is a huge understatement.
She was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in November 2021 and breast cancer just two months later. She has had a hysterectomy, two mastectomies, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and tests uncovered she has an inherited syndrome that raises her cancer risk.
Her younger brother Glen died from bowel cancer in England, aged just 52, in 2022.
But the 62-year-old Nelson woman refuses to let that catalogue of misfortune keep her down for long.
“I feel really great at the moment, and want to give back.”
“I absolutely get down days, and there have been times when I’ve stayed in bed for a few days.
“But life is too short and I have got a great family and lots of friends. I’m pretty confident I’m going to be ok. It’s the power of thought; I’m just going to be fine.”
Bartlett has put a team together for the Cancer Society Nelson Tasman’s Relay for Life at the Richmond A & P Showgrounds on March 16 as a way of giving back for the care and support she has received.
So far, 13 people have signed up for Team Mumma Maria, one of more than 50 teams carrying the baton around a 400-metre track through the night, from 4pm on Saturday to 8am on Sunday.
The society’s main fundraiser has been boosted by a $50 a ticket raffle for a Yaris Cross Limited hybrid, valued at $45,000, sponsored by Bowater Toyota. G.J. Gardner Homes is also a major sponsor of the event.
Bartlett said the society had been “brilliant” during her recovery, helping to connect her with physiotherapy, accommodation during out-of-town hospital treatment.
She was also grateful for the skill of surgeons and medical staff: “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them”.
Bartlett was 59 when severe pain and heavy periods led to her first endrometrial cancer diagnosis. Because of her results, doctors asked to perform tests for Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition associated with a genetic predisposition to different cancer types.
The results came back positive as she was dealing with her breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy in early 2022. She had a preventive second mastectomy in December last year.
But now she is back in her regular swimming routine and walking in preparation for the relay. So far her team has raised $1500, already beyond her $1000 target, and she has set her sights on $2000.
Her husband Terry, daughter Chloe and daughter-in-law Chereez are joining her in the 16-hour event, taking turns to complete laps.
She is planning a trip back to England to see her two surviving brothers and other family in June.
People tell her she is brave “but it’s not so much being brave, it’s what you have got to do. I prefer to be positive.”
The Relay for Life will be returning for the first time since 2018 because of Covid disruptions.
The opening ceremony will celebrate those who have survived cancer, and there will also be a time to remember those who have died.
Food and live music will help fuel the teams taking part, with a 6am breakfast scheduled on the Sunday morning.
Nelson Tasman Cancer Society centre manager Michelle Hunt said people could camp out in caravans and tents in the middle of the showgrounds.
“It’s a really supportive and fun atmosphere,” she said.
Teams could still enter the relay through the website at: https://relayforlife. org.nz/o/nelson-tasman-relay.