Welcome to our new series, The Cancer Diaries, brought to you by the Cancer Society. With 1 in 3 Kiwis diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes, the ripple effect of a cancer diagnosis spreads far and wide across Aotearoa. Over the next few months, we are going to bring you a range of stories from people who are affected by cancer: those who have dedicated their life’s work to fighting cancer, those currently living with cancer, those who have lost their most precious loved ones to cancer and those who have recovered and are now experiencing the second act that comes with surviving one of the hardest experiences a person can have. Double cancer survivor Jessica Synge knows the ins and outs of battling cancer – here’s her story, and her advice for others facing the same situation.
In more ways than one, Jess Synge is an expert in all things cancer.
It’s knowledge that’s been hard-won and unfairly foisted on her, as a two-time cancer survivor, a radiation therapist and Cancer Society volunteer.
In fact, it was during volunteering that Jess was diagnosed with breast cancer, 25 years after her first diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Still, Jess says there are a lot of journeys far worse than hers.
“It all feels like a full-circle moment,” she tells.
Her story begins as a 15-year-old, when after discovering a lump in her neck, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“I vividly remember feeling it and going to school and telling my friends ‘look at this thing!’,” Jess says. “I told my mum and we went to the GP, and then we waited for the results but it was around the time of exams for School C – that’s showing my age! – and I think the doctor waited until I was done to tell me the bad news. Waiting for the biopsy was the worst part of it – whether or not it was Hodgkin’s or Non-Hodgkins.”
Jess then started her first course of chemotherapy the week before Christmas, on December 20. Four months of intense chemo followed, and Jess remembers struggling with the treatment. “I was so, so sick. After that came radiation, which also wasn’t fun – I mean, none of it was fun, but it was the lesser of two evils for me.”
Eventually Jess entered remission – and was even inspired to become a radiation therapist following her experiences. “I knew I wanted to do that after my treatments. I went to uni and came back and ended up working in the same hospital as I had been in as a patient. It was a full-circle moment, for sure, and I think it was my way of owning my own story. I always felt thankful and I wanted to give back. Not everyone is lucky enough to come out the other side with such a good prognosis like I did.”
Fast-forward today Jess, who is now married and a mother to two, has always wanted to help others who also find themselves dealing with cancer. She’s also been constantly vigilant about self-monitoring for signs and symptoms of cancer, with her former treatment causing her to now be more pre-disposed to developing secondary cancers.
“Radiation can cause cancer, as well as it being the cure for cancer,” she explains. “So the risk of developing cancer again increases the longer time goes on, and because I was so young when I had the first cancer, there was a higher chance. I was hyper-aware of it – probably because of my job – but you always hope.”
However, Jess found a lump in her breast in September last year – but wasn’t too concerned.
“I’ve always had lumpy boobs, so I wasn’t super concerned but I knew I had an MRI coming up. I was still taken aback, I admit – I hadn’t taken anyone with me or anything for the appointment. I was like, ‘oh, shit’.
“I then started to immediately process that, for the last 20 years or so, I’d taken for granted that this might not happen… and the good thing and the bad thing about working in oncology was that I knew exactly what was happening, and the language being used. I knew it wasn’t good.”
Jess was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer – thankfully, it was in its early stages. While her cancer was treatable, Jess was adamant that she wanted a double mastectomy, as the odds of her developing the same cancer in her other breast was high.
She had her surgery last year – and, as fate would have it, her surgery again took place on December 20. “It was quite creepy to realise that! It’s surreal – 24 years later, on the same day.”
Nine months on, Jess is now happily cancer-free, but admits the recovery from this cancer was tougher on her than the first.
“You just have to carry on, you know – I have kids, a mortgage,” she says. “I’m a wife, a mother, people rely on me, and it’s like, holy shit. But it all caught up with me eventually and then I kind of spiralled into a ‘holy hell, what the heck just happened?!’ thing. You have to adjust to a new normal. I have this new body and these new boobs, so that’s very different … I like to think I’m an optimistic person, and I’m thankful for the position I’m in.”
She’s also had to navigate the realities of fighting cancer whilst also explaining it to her children. And while there were heavy moments, she also found herself in quite the moment thanks to her son’s… interesting take on her treatment.
“Oh god,” she laughs. “I’d explained as best I could, but the crux of it was that Mum had a lump and it needs to come out, so they’re going to take off my boobs and give me new ones, which they accepted. I didn’t want them going to school saying ‘My mum has cancer’ and then be told by kids ‘oh, my nana died of cancer’. They’re nine and six, you know, so they were happy with that. But then a week later we ran into some friends, and my son Ollie tells his friend’s dad ‘did you know my mum’s getting new boobs!?’ The poor man – we did a lot of quick explaining!”
Jess is also very big on making sure that women especially know that, while the word ‘cancer’ is certainly a loaded one, it doesn’t necessarily mean a death sentence – and that we have to advocate for ourselves when we know something isn’t right.
“I’m very open with everyone – that’s how I process and deal with things, and the more we talk about cancer and these types of things, we realise that it isn’t always the end of the world. It’s not nice, of course. When people would ask what I did and I said radiation therapist, they’d say ‘oh gosh, how depressing’. But I thought it was quite amazing, to help people when they were scared and worried, and be able to help people through it.
“I helped myself through it, too – you have to advocate for yourself. My insurance initially didn’t cover the double mastectomy – I didn’t meet the criteria on paper until I managed to convince them. That’s when I got angry and cried the most, to be honest – the other stuff I could deal with, but I didn’t want to have to deal with this, on top of everything else. People tend to accept what they’re told as gospel – but you have to push and follow up.
“Don’t be scared of bothering people.”
Jess has signed up again this year to support Cancer Society as a volunteer for Daffodil Day and is encouraging others to consider giving an hour or two of their time to a cause that’s close to her heart.
Daffodil Day is Friday 29 August this year, but you can volunteer on Saturday 30th in some centres too! To get involved in NZs largest street appeal in your area, head to https://volunteer.daffodilday.org.nz/
If you or someone you know has cancer and would like to talk, contact Cancer Society’s 0800 CANCER (226 237).
