WAG opens up surprising side of bowel cancer treatment
An AFL WAG battling a horrific bowel cancer diagnosis has shared some of the unexpected side effects of her illness.
Face & Body
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An AFL WAG battling a horrific bowel cancer diagnosis has shared some of the unexpected side effects of her illness.
Kellie Finlayson, who is married to Port Adelaide star Jeremy, was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in 2021, three months after giving birth to the couple’s daughter Sophia.
The 28-year-old has been public about her experience with the disease, that previously went on to metastasise in her lungs, with scans showing her tumour as being stable – meaning that while the cancer was there, it wasn’t active.
But, in July, Kellie revealed that was no longer the case and needed to restart treatment once again. She said her newest oncologist has made sure that her quality of life has been met.
As part of the illness and the resulting treatment, Mrs Finlayson had a stoma bag, lost a “sh*t tonne” of weight and had her hair fall out.
But, there is also an unseen reality that has come with her diagnosis, the Sh!t Talkers podcast host revealed.
Mrs Finlayson had never had any issues with her skin until six months after her first rounds of treatment.
“Initially, it was in the parts where I was getting radiated, which was expected. I was told that was going to happen in terms of the skin drying out or being more sensitive to certain things — or even just wiping my bum to be honest, cause that’s where I was radiated,” she told news.com.au.
“In the end, it ended up being sensitivity to the sun and that was my whole body obviously, but more so sensitive in already sensitive areas such as elbows, wrists and face.”
Mrs Finlayson said she likely did so well for so long as her appearance didn’t change for a long time.
“It was more so behind close doors that I saw the effects of everything — like scars aren’t visible often. My hair didn’t fall out until 18 months later when I relapsed,” she said.
“My appearance was really normal to those around me, so I was almost able to convince myself that I was normal as well. It was definitely behind closed doors that I was dealing with the superficial symptoms of the diagnosis.
“But, at the time, I was trying to manage the best I could for my own sake.”
As part of this, Mrs Finalyson was dabbling in cleaner skin care products, and FUCA founder Jess Armstrong reached out to her on TikTok.
“I didn’t know anything about FUCA as it is a very brand new product, but she asked me to be part of the campaign knowing that I was open to share and be vulnerable on things that maybe others don’t touch on or often goes unheard of with cancer patients — like sensitive skin,” Mrs Finlayson told news.com.au.
Jess Armstrong is a mother-of-two who was diagnosed with breast cancer and, during her treatment, she was only told the name of one recommended brand that avoided certain chemicals.
But, the former L’Oreal product developer wasn’t content with just that. So, she created FUCA, a “trio of skincare products designed for super sensitive, compromised skin types and people who are really trying to clean up their skincare products”.
Mrs Finlayson said being part of this was a “no-brainer”, particularly with Ms Armstrong being such a “powerhouse” herself. Now, the products are part of her routine.
“I felt like the two of us could do something really impactful such as get this skin product — which is so basic, which is funny to say because it’s so carefully formulated but what goes into it is so basic and that’s why it’s so good,” Mrs Finlayson said.
Being part of the brand also helped Mrs Finlayson, who has been wary about what she puts into her body, be more mindful about what goes on her skin.
The range hasn’t launched yet, but Mrs Finlayson’s family and friends are excited for her part in it as it wasn’t the career that she’d launched for herself from a young age. But, she’s getting to use her storytelling skills and lived experience, which is something that excites her.
FUCA stands for F U Cancer — a sentiment that each person who goes through or knows someone going through cancer feels differently about. Some see it as a battle cry. Others see it as a commiseration.
But, for Mrs Finlayson?
“It’s changed my life forever — that just comes with it. I’ve always lived each day, you never know when you’re going to [die], but it’s given me perspective on what I do and how will my daughter see me in years to come,” she said.
“Trying to create a legacy in your 20s is a little bit hard but at the same time I know all of the pieces of the puzzle that I am putting together are only illuminating a path for her to walk on later in life.
“So I think that the ‘f*** cancer’ while yes, I hate it and I hate that it’s taken so much from me, it’s also given me so much.”
She said FUCA was such a cool way to make a spin on it and turn it into a product that could be so handy for everyone.
Originally published as WAG opens up surprising side of bowel cancer treatment