World Cancer Day 2023: Queenslanders share their story

Saturday is World Cancer Day. We’ve talked to two Queenslanders who have battled cancer and, incredibly, over nine years later, are still here to tell their story.

“For whatever reason, I’m a survivor.”

In a battle nobody should ever face, Beverley Asmus is a survivor.

Around 400 Australians are diagnosed with cancer every day.

Saturday is World Cancer Day. It is a day some survivors may ask: “why me?”

After a routine breast cancer screening examination in 2014, Beverley’s life changed.

Beverley, a Sunshine Coast resident who was living in Brisbane at the time, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.

After a difficult battle, Beverley survived and is still here.

“I have survivor’s guilt,” she said.

“For whatever reason, I’m a survivor.” Picture: Beverley Asmus

Beverley lost both her husband and her daughter-in-law within the last two years.

She doesn’t understand why she is still here and some of her loved ones aren’t.

“Personally, I feel I owe my life to the amazing oncologist at Wesley Icon Care who tweaked the protocol holistically to suit me,” she said.

“My daughter-in-law put everything possible into many years of ever-increasing, horrendous side effects of chemotherapy, hoping to survive until research caught up and the magic elixir would happen.”

Rick advocates for early detection of cancer. Picture: Rick Poppleston

Rick Poppleston, 74, from Goodna shared a similarly sad outcome.

“I’m one of those guys who never went to a GP unless I had to”, Rick said.

After he turned 60, his wife told him to get tested for “everything known to man”.

Everything came back fine except for one thing.

Rick had prostate cancer.

By 2017, the cancer progressed to Stage 4.

There isn’t a cure. There isn’t an “end date”.

Rick has to live every day knowing that any day could be his last.

A combination of Zytiga and prednisolone, two medications that when combined can help treat the spread of prostate cancer, help Rick get through the day.

Some days he has hot flushes. Other days he has a shortness of breath. No day is exactly the same.

Due to long term side effects from the medication Rick has lost muscle mass and bone density.

Rick has to live every day knowing that any day could be his last. Picture: Rick Poppleston

He has to have another drug (Xgeva) injected monthly for bone strength.

“The combined effect of all the medication isn’t pleasant at times, but they’re keeping me alive,” he said.

“I’m also an advocate of early detection and get the message out to guys at every opportunity and I also help manage a prostate cancer support group helping those who need to find their way through the prostate cancer journey.”

Rick said his goal is to make it to at least 98.

“Unlike some who may agonise over the inevitable, I’m just not built that way,” he said.

“I have been thrown a lot of challenges during my 74 years and have just dealt with them by keeping a positive attitude and just getting on with life – and my prostate cancer is no different.”

Information on the early signs and symptoms of cancer can be found on the Cancer Council website.