Tumour like a ‘demon baby’
In her candid podcast series Jo v Cancer, Jo McKenzie-McLean offers frank insights into life with stage 4 bowel cancer. Ahead of its launch she speaks to Marine´ Lourens about her latest challenge.
When a doctor explained to Jo McKenzie-McLean she had a cancerous tumour in one of her ovaries, it was described as ‘‘kind of like a hard-boiled egg’’.
McKenzie-McLean assumed this was an indication of the size of the tumour. It was only after another scan that she realised it was more like the size of a volleyball.
‘‘I was picturing this egg-sized tumour, but then the surgeon told me we were dealing with quite a large mass,’’ says McKenzie-McLean, gesturing with her hands to show how big the tumour is.
‘‘I was like, huh? That’s the size of a volleyball! And she said yeah, it can weigh up to 2kg, probably.’’
McKenzie-McLean’s ability to keep her sense of humour even when she is talking about her fight for survival is perhaps a tell-tale sign that she is no newbie when it comes to the battle against cancer.
The 44-year-old Cromwell mother and Stuff journalist was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in January 2021 after first being turned down twice for a colonoscopy because she didn’t fit all the criteria.
She has since been advocating for better access to life-saving tests.
Just one day ahead of surgery in Christchurch to remove the large tumour, both her ovaries and her uterus, McKenzie-McLean is once again candidly sharing her experience in overcoming the latest hurdle on her cancer journey.
‘‘My friends joke I should call the tumour Wilson,’’ she says, a reference to the name of the volleyball in the well-known film Cast Away. ‘‘I’m not going to call it Wilson. But I did ask the surgeon to take a photo of it when she takes it out, so I can see what it looks like!’’
The surgery, no matter how successful, won’t leave McKenzieMcLean cancer-free, but she is still looking forward to having the mass removed.
‘‘I feel like I’ve been carrying around this demon baby inside of me. And now that I know I’ve got this volleyballsized thing inside of me, I would lie in bed and hear my stomach gurgle and wonder, is that the tumour moving? It feels really bizarre.’’
McKenzie-McLean previously had surgery to remove two-thirds of her bowel, lymph nodes and some other bits and pieces, but says she feels like she is in a better mindset this time around. Her previous surgery took place shortly after she was diagnosed, and she felt traumatised and overwhelmed by it all.
‘‘I am realistic. I know there are cancer cells in my bloodstream and it is possible that there will be more operations needed in the future. I don’t know, but I’ll worry about that another day. I am just glad to be getting this tumour out of me, so I can get back to my chemotherapy.’’
Every two weeks, McKenzieMcLean travels to Dunedin to receive chemotherapy and will resume treatment as soon as she has recovered from the surgery.
She admits feeling quite anxious heading into the operation, not knowing what doctors will find once they open her up.
The mother-of-two fights back tears as she considers the emotional aspect of the operation. ‘‘I’ve been so focused on getting the cancer out, I haven’t had a lot of time thinking about the implications of having a full hysterectomy,’’ she says.
‘‘I know I don’t plan on having more kids, but there is that kind of emotional attachment to it . . . That choice is being taken away from me now. Maybe one day at some point I would have loved to have another baby.
‘‘These last two years have been one thing after another, and it just feels like yet another thing I’ve been hit with.’’
Aday after the surgery, McKenzieMcLean is fairly upbeat laying in her hospital bed waiting for breakfast.
The surgery was a success and most importantly, the cancer had not spread and the tumour could be removed in its entirety.
‘‘Jo’s surgery went really well,’’ says her surgeon, gynaecological oncologist Susie Mourton.
‘‘The mass was pretty large, probably about 25cm. It was removed intact which is really important, and we did not see anything else abnormal within the abdominal cavity, which is great news.’’ McKenzie-McLean would need to stay in hospital for a few days and it would probably take six to eight weeks for her to fully recover, says Mourton. ‘‘But in saying that, most people are only taking strong pain pills for maybe a week or so.’’
For McKenzie-McLean, the postsurgery pain is worth the immense relief of having the tumour gone. It is like a weight off her shoulders, she says, but she knows it is short-term relief.
‘‘I am trying to take one thing at a time. I’ve been focusing on getting this tumour out and getting that out of the way, and now the journey continues. It is a bit like a never-ending path, but I’ve learnt it pays not to think too far ahead. Just take what your brain can handle one step at a time, otherwise it gets too overwhelming and scary,’’ she says.
‘‘For now, I am just glad to have this demon baby gone, celebrate that and take it as a win – small victories! So I’ll just ride on that wave for a bit.’’
‘‘I’ve learnt it pays not to think too far ahead.’’