Sunshine Coast mother Katie Wilke shares how early cancer screening saved her life
A mother of four says her surgeon was ‘truly shocked to see a polyp so big in someone her age’ after she underwent a screening following a family member’s cancer scare.
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A Queensland mother has urged others to go for regular cancer screenings after early detection saved her from a short life of heartache, pain, and tortuous chemotherapy.
The Sunshine Coast mother of four says she was prompted to get a scan after a family member was diagnosed with cancer, despite having no symptoms or prior family history.
Nationally, medical experts are urging Australians to recognise the importance of regular cancer screenings for early detection, as cancer rates continue to climb, with projections forecasting the number of Australians with a cancer diagnosis would surpass 200,000 by 2033, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Sunshine Coast local Katie Wilke, 39, of Caloundra, said she decided to go for a screening after learning the devastating news her older cousin had recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Her cousin then had a cancerous polyp removed, which pushed Ms Wilke to get a colonoscopy and faecal screening.
Ms Wilke was shocked to learn she had three huge polyps which were precancerous.
Fortunately, she had them removed but it could have been an entirely different outcome if she didn’t get screened in time.
“It honestly saved my life,” Ms Wilke said.
“The surgeon was truly shocked to see a polyp so big in someone my age. Originally, he was concerned the precancerous cells would spread but they hadn’t.
“He said my cousin had saved my life.”
The devoted mother of four said the precancerous cells were well on their way to becoming serious – possibly even deadly.
“I was in shock afterwards I really wasn’t expecting anything to come from the screening,” she said.
“I had to wait a week to find out if it was cancer. I remember taking my kids to swimming and sitting there in shock, going through the motions and just feeling awful.
“I now feel lucky to have gotten it so early. To have survived and avoided the burden that comes with cancer.”
Recent data revealed the pandemic played a critical role in Australians putting vital cancer screenings on the backburner.
A report released by Cancer Australia in September 2021 revealed an alarming eight per cent drop in selected cancer-related diagnostic procedures, equating to 163,595 fewer services than expected. Other contributing factors included the current cost of living crisis and a reluctance to test due to the nature of the test or a fear of getting a diagnosis.
Ms Wilke said she urged everyone to stay on top of their cancer screenings – especially if they had a family history.
“My advice is to go get everything checked. It saved my life,” she said.
“I have always been an advocate for asking your GP for guidance and getting things checked and that has been solidified. I am not embarrassed to talk to my family about medical issues, colon or otherwise – it might’ve saved my life.
“I think as women we downplay a lot of our abdominal symptoms and disregard random pains and downplay all of those feelings but it’s worth mentioning to your GP.
“We need to break down the stigma around the process of sampling your body too. It’s just medical. There’s no shame.”
National screening programs are available to detect breast cancer, bowel cancer and cervical cancer (with the guidelines advising to screen every two years for breast and bowel cancer and every five years for cervical cancer).
By 2023, it is estimated there will be around 165,000 cases of cancer diagnosed in Australia, an average of over 450 cases every day.
For more information about all cancer screening services or to schedule a screening, contact your local healthcare provider.
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