Oncology is poorly resourced, says mum
A Southland mother says people should not give up if they don’t get the answers they need when seeking medical advice.
Frances Thompson is dealing with her second bout of bowel cancer, which has spread to her liver and lymph nodes. Her young daughter Katherine, 11, who had leukaemia, died on June 26.
Frances says people should ask for second opinions if needed and should pay attention to their bodies. ‘‘If it doesn’t seem right then get it checked out.’’
A Givealittle fundraising page was set up for the family and has reached more than $13,000 so far.
A motorcycle run by the 22MC Social Motorcycle Club across western Southland on Saturday also raised money for the family.
After Frances had struggled for six months to get a diagnosis or a fix for her severe abdominal pain, a friend urged her to seek more advice. ‘‘Do not give up if you are not getting the answers you need. Ask for second opinions if needed,’’ Frances said.
Cancer of any type could hit people at any age, she said.
When it came to both mother and daughter dealing with their conditions at the same time, Frances put her daughter first. ‘‘The furthest I travelled was from her room to the family room or the cafe for almost two months.’’
Frances never spent more than a week in hospital for her own treatments or surgeries.
‘‘I ensured I got my treatments and kept on top of what I needed to, but it was secondary to Katherine and what she was experiencing,’’ she said.
Frances said she did not want to go into too much detail about what happened to Katherine.
During the course of her initial treatments, and possibly when she switched from in-patient to outpatient care, Katherine had somehow picked up a secondary infection, Frances said.
Because of the underlying health issues related to leukaemia and how her ‘‘little body was handling everything’’, she was not able to be saved, Frances said.
‘‘When it became apparent that there was nothing more that could be done we had her brought home to Southland by the air ambulance. She was placed into isolation and palliative care.’’
Katherine was treated in the Children’s Haematology and Oncology Centre (CHOC) in Christchurch, where the staff were amazing, Frances said.
‘‘On the whole I am reasonably positive about the quality of care provided by Southland Hospital, particularly for my daughter.
‘‘The CHOC ward in Christchurch was amazing, and my little Kat managed to touch the hearts of the staff there as much as she did here in Southland.
‘‘For myself, once my diagnosis was finally made I can say that the professionalism and care shown has been amazing.
‘‘Southland, however, is grossly under-resourced for oncology and Dunedin Hospital has to run and assist it as much as possible.’’
She is grateful for the generosity of the public as well as that of her friends and family.
‘‘It is amazing to me that so many people can show love and support for complete strangers.’’
In particular, Frances wanted to give thanks to local groups from Southland who had donated and contributed to fundraising efforts.
Katherine’s funeral is expected to be held tomorrow.
‘‘The furthest I travelled was from her room to the family room or the cafe for almost two months.’’ Frances Thompson on dealing with her condition at the same time as her daughter was ill