'People can be afraid to laugh about cancer, but it's okay'
THE mother of four determined not to let terminal cancer stop her laughter
Coffs Harbour
Don't miss out on the headlines from Coffs Harbour. Followed categories will be added to My News.
DEBORAH Gussey is determined not to let her terminal cancer diagnosis stop her laughing.
The Mackay region mother of four still laughs at her own jokes, even when they're at her own expense.
She chuckles as she says: "Chemo is the best Brazilian ever".
It's this sense of humour that carried her through the bleaker moments of the past 15 months.
In January 2018, Ms Gussey was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After chemotherapy, radiation therapy and dozens of medication scripts, her doctors told her the cancer had spread to her bones.
Her doctors said her life expectancy would be limited to just two to three years.
When Ms Gussey heard the news, her only thought was "hell no".
"I'm not looking at two to three years. I plan on being here for a very long time for my kids," she said.
For the past month she has started chronicling her treatment through her Facebook blog Deb's Personal Breast Cancer Journey.
On her blog, she wrote 'people can be afraid to laugh about cancer, but it's okay'.
She began writing to overcome the "information overload" she said many cancer patients experienced.
After she was diagnosed she was overwhelmed with a flurry of clinical information in folders and brochures.
"I wanted to write in an open and honest way, but also include humour," she said.
The blog includes everything from the side-effects of her medication to her choice of head wear.
Despite her diagnosis, Ms Gussey said she could still laugh at jokes about cancer.
"You can see the funny side of it and you need to sometimes," she said.
"We all need a laugh. And if it snaps you out of the bad times, then that's great."
Ms Gussey believes through a positive mindset, healthy living, and strong cancer suppressing medications, she can continue to be there for her family.
"If you are in a better place and a better mindset - miracles can happen. Where there's hope there's miracles and humour helps you along the path," she said.
Against her wishes, Ms Gussey's friends have set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for her to take her children on adventures.
The page said donations would go towards financing "positive memories for her family to enjoy and recall in years to come".
Read more on the Facebook blog page 'Deb's Personal Breast Cancer Journey'
To donate, search for 'Deb's Fight for Life and More Time' on Go Fund Me.
Originally published as 'People can be afraid to laugh about cancer, but it's okay'
Revealed: The 64 women who went missing or were murdered
For the first time the full list of 64 women who went missing or were murdered along the NSW north coast can be revealed.
Murdered or missing: Are multiple serial killers still stalking victims?
Dozens of women who were brutally murdered or disappeared on the NSW North Coast, but whose perpetrators were never caught can be revealed among fears some of them could be the work of one or more serial killers.