After nearly 30 years’ experience working as a cancer nurse, Gippsland resident and mum of four Kay suddenly found herself in her patients’ shoes. It was 2006 and she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Kay
The shock of diagnosis can affect anyone
Having worked in day chemotherapy units both in metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria, Kay knew how to navigate the cancer care system well. Still, she says that no one is immune from the shock and overwhelm that can come with a cancer diagnosis.
“You flounder to make decisions,” Kay says. “For the average patient, they can’t take information in. Even I couldn’t take it in, and I was quite familiar with the stuff. You just go… I don’t know what to do. You want someone to make the decisions for you.”
Kay was able to lean on her husband, John, so that even when she was in a state of distress, she knew she had someone there who’d be able to support her in conversations with her doctor.
“One of the things I would really advocate for… is that it doesn't matter who you are. Take someone with you to your appointments”, she says. “You just don’t hear stuff.”
The call that helped Kay find her footing
Having regularly recommended Cancer Council as part of her work, Kay knew to give our 13 11 20 Cancer Information and Support Line a call, and through that conversation was referred to our Peer Connect program so she could talk to someone with a similar cancer experience.
She was soon matched with another mother living in rural Victoria who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and says the phone call they had became a key turning point in her journey.
“I thought if she can do it, I can do it. I'm gonna be OK,” says Kay. “And it was just like she flipped the switch… It was only just the one phone call, but it was enough to get me through and get me on the right track.”
A second diagnosis brought life to a halt
Kay received six cycles of chemotherapy in Traralgon, the closest major hospital to where she lives, followed by 6 weeks of radiation treatment in Melbourne. Then in 2025, after a routine follow up scan, Kay was diagnosed with Stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma.
Kay says that though the people around her would’ve looked at her and thought she was fine, the reality was that this second cancer diagnosis caused her and her husband’s life to hit pause.
“We just had to put life on hold,” Kay says. “I didn’t have the headspace, and my husband didn’t either because he was really worried about me.”
The pair had to drive to Melbourne from their home in rural Victoria for Kay to access treatment, which consisted of 6-cycles of chemo-immunotherapy every three weeks. They’d pay the costs of these trips out-of-pocket and often wait extended periods of time before being reimbursed by the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS).
Kay says that it’s the hidden costs and mental overwhelm which often come with a diagnosis that can act as a barrier for patients finding the right support for their situation – especially for those living outside of metropolitan Melbourne.
“If you support the person, the disease will be OK, but if the person's not supported, life's tough.”
Kay and her husband, John, in Coffin Bay South Australia
Why navigating cancer care takes support
These days, Kay is travelling to Melbourne for a targeted therapy every eight weeks – and will continue to do so for two years.
Her experience both as a cancer nurse and a patient has taught Kay that the biggest gap in cancer care is patient navigation. With the amount of medical experience she had, she still found it hard to know where to turn – and can only imagine what it’s like for others without a healthcare background.
“Most people don’t have a strong health literacy,” Kay says. “They don’t know what they don’t know, so they don’t know what to ask.”
Kay says the best first step for those newly diagnosed with cancer is to call the 13 11 20 Cancer Information and Support Line – advice she has given to friends and family who have sought her out when their loved ones have received a cancer diagnosis.
“I tell them to ring the Cancer Council. I feel like the Cancer Council's people know that to take those calls they’re really able to put people onto the right path of where they can get help.”
Call 13 11 20 and find the support you need
When you call the Cancer Council support line on 13 11 20, you’ll talk to a qualified professional and get the support you need.
It’s free, confidential, and available for anyone affected by cancer who has a question – those diagnosed as well as their family, friends, and carers.
Contact cancer support