THE news that she had bowel cancer turned Lizzie Spencer’s life upside down. She was only 22 and the diagnosis sent “a shock wave” through her friends and family.
The Hoppers Crossing resident credits the Cancer Council with helping her cope
“[The diagnosis] was a big shock at that age. You think you are invincible,” she says.
“You go to the doctor because there is a pain and five months later they tell you they have found a five-centimetre tumour.
“You’ve only lived for a quarter of your life and it gets threatened to be taken away from you. But the work the Cancer Council does offers you support. A lot of people were dying from [bowel cancer] but their research means the success rate is so much higher.”
Ms Spencer had surgery to remove the part of her bowel containing the tumour and six months of chemotherapy before the doctors gave her the all-clear. The year after she finished her treatment, she decided to join a Relay for Life team because she wanted to give back.
Last year, she started her own team with her friends and family.
“The relay is about fighting back and giving something back. We owe the people who have been fund-raising previously,” Ms Spencer
says. “It can be quite an emotional experience, but every year it gets a little bit easier for me.”
Her team, Rent-a-Crowd, raised $13,000 last year.
Ms Spencer says the best thing about Relay for Life is that she has friends and family beside her, just like when she was diagnosed with cancer.
“I believe the love and support from my friends and family, especially my mum, dad and fiance Joel, was what gave me the strength to beat the cancer.
“I don’t think I would have made it without them.”
This year’s Wyndham Relay for Life is at the Victoria University athletics track in Hoppers Lane on April 21 and 22.
Details: Relay for Life.
