AFL star’s wife Kellie Finlayson talks about living with a terminal cancer diagnosis

Kellie Finlayson’s life changed forever when she was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. But the wife of Port Adelaide AFL star Jeremy Finlayson still continues to fight every day.

Kellie Finlayson was just 25 years old when she was diagnosed with stage four terminal bowel cancer — just months after giving birth to her baby girl.

But the wife of Port Adelaide AFL star Jeremy Finlayson continues to fight every day and is open about her treatment journey.

Following surgeries and intense chemotherapy, the now 27-year-old has recently been given an optimistic update where her latest scans showed the cancer had stopped spreading.

But Ms Finlayson lives with the reality of her diagnosis every day.

She spoke candidly with Body+Soul’s Extra Healthy-ish podcast host Felicity Harley about her diagnosis and how she’s dealt with it.

Kellie Finlayson was diagnosed with bowel cancer when she was 25 years old. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Kellie Finlayson with husband Jeremy Finlayson and their daughter Sophia. Picture: @kelliefinlayson/Instagram

“I was in a lot of denial for a long time and it wasn’t until my first surgery that it probably set in that this was going to be a long, hard journey,” Ms Finlayson said.

She also revealed how she tackled her treatment process.

“I chose not to have an opinion on anything, I chose to not do any research, I chose to just trust in my medical team and do what I was told basically,” she said.

“Some days I was quite literally on my death bed having to be taken back to hospital after a chemo session, and I was just there knowing that it was working, and if this is what I had to do for my life to be prolonged, then that’s what I was going to do.”

She said she feels like she’s “living on borrowed time” so continues to make the most of her life with her husband and daughter Sophia.

Ms Finlayson urges anyone who is having irregular bowel symptoms to get checked out medically, and not put it off.

Kellie and Jeremy Finlayson in June 2023. Picture: Emma Brasier

Listen to the Extra Healthy-ish podcast to find out more:

Listen to the full interview on podcast Extra Healthy-ish, out now on Apple Podcasts.

Extra Healthy-ish

Extra Healthy-ish is the big sister podcast to Healthy-ish.

Here you’ll get extra bits from your favourite guests, extra expert intel from doctors, dermatologists and dietitians, extra tips and extra tools to make healthier decisions, for your mind, body and soul. It’s all a bit extra.

Extra Healthy-ish publishes a new episode Monday to Thursday. For more, head to bodyandsoul.com.au

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