Longtime Ashburton friends Paul Hands, 69, and Sharon Dunstan, 67, have both miraculously survived terminal cancer. The two team leaders in this weekend’s Relay for Life spoke to Susan Sandys.
Cancer Society Ashburton stages its two-yearly major fundraiser, Relay for Life, at the Ashburton showgrounds this Saturday.
Friends Paul Hands and Sharon Dunstan are joining forces for the cause after they each experienced their own battle with the disease.
Hands first had a brush with prostate cancer before a devastating bowel and liver cancer diagnosis at the age of 63.
Radiotherapy for prostate cancer can have a side effect of burning part of the bowel, so this did not help with a speedy diagnosis for his bowel cancer.
By the time he got that diagnosis, he was stage four. Cancer in his liver was due to the cancer in his bowel having metastasized.
His oncologist said he may only have four to six weeks to live. But, if he was one of a lucky 60 per cent, chemotherapy could extend that to 12 months.
‘‘It’s such an aggressive form of cancer,’’ Hands said.
‘‘I was feeling bad for my wife and my family around me, because they were seeing this guy slip away from them.’’
For Hands, he felt the chemo starting to work in the first week of treatment.
While he got weaker after each round, it started to shrink his tumours.
One night he woke up at 2.30am and just knew he was going to survive.
‘‘I just felt as if my internal organs were coming right,’’ he said.
‘‘Getting past my expiry date became a big thing, daring to believe that I won’t need that coffin out in the garage just yet.’’
Six years later he is doing well – tumour free with the cancer at undetectable levels.
Life could not be better for the granddad and retired electrician, who is back to his passion of fitness – playing squash, riding his bike, swimming and walking.
Despite being well now, Hands has survivor guilt.
‘‘Then comes the big question – why do I get the privilege of being with the ones I love and the so many others who started with a similar diagnosis have not?’’
Dunstan has that same guilt.
Diagnosed with blood cancer, she completed six months of chemotherapy in a bone marrow transplant unit.
‘‘Why did I survive and at least nine other people I was in the bone marrow transplant unit with died?’’
She had been 56 when she started feeling a little tired, then one morning woke up with a large lump on her neck.
She was referred that day for tests in Christchurch.
‘‘By quarter-to-five that afternoon I knew I had cancer,’’ Dunstan said.
Six weeks after her chemo, a PET scan showed a series of tumours had not shrunk.
‘‘My oncologist told me to go home and put my affairs in order, and enjoy what life I had left,’’ Dunstan said.
But another scan 18 months later showed all the tumours had vanished.
‘‘Just lucky, maybe it wasn’t my time,’’ she said.
Dunstan believes her fitness regime, which includes going to the gym five times a week, and a healthy diet, also helped.
And her oncologist had said maybe the PET scan was done too early.
Hands and Dunstan see Relay for Life as an opportunity to bare testimony to the reality of the disease they have battled, and somehow, so far miraculously survived.
‘‘To do the walk (on) Saturday just to honour those who are no longer here, and to give courage to people who are here and fighting it,’’ Dunstan said.
Relay for Life:
Fifty-one teams have entered for Relay for Life, at the Ashburton showgrounds, from 10am to 10pm, on Saturday. Cancer Society community manager Aimee Cosgrove said people were still welcome to come and enjoy the event even if they have not registered. ‘‘Come along, enjoy the entertainment, purchase some goodies provided by teams, and if you would like, make a donation.’’
