I was just like Kate: Mum’s cancer shock in her early 40s

An Adelaide mum was shocked to find out she had cancer when she was just 43 and – just like Princess Kate – faced the task of breaking the devastating news to her daughter.

Just like Princess Kate, Renata Potoczky was a busy working mum in her early 40s when she was diagnosed with cancer.

The Adelaide teacher was 43 when she found out she had advanced ovarian cancer that had touched her spleen and faced a 31 per cent five-year survival rate.

Last week, the Princess of Wales revealed she had been diagnosed with an unnamed form of cancer after having routine abdominal surgery and was starting preventive chemotherapy.

The 42-year-old mother-of-three revealed her diagnosis had been a “huge shock” and she had been through an “incredibly tough couple of months”.

She said she and Prince William had together faced the challenge of telling their three children – George, Charlotte and Louis – “in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be OK”.

Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has revealed she is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Ms Potoczky, now 45, was faced with the same heartbreaking conversation with her daughter, who was 10 when she was diagnosed in February 2022.

“The hardest part was having to scare my daughter,” says the business innovation and digital media teacher.

“I contacted the Cancer Council and Ovarian Cancer for help ... and then I called her dad. We got her a Bubble O’Bill and we sat down at the table and told her that the doctors are going to take it out and then I’m going to have some chemo.

Young mum Renata Potoczky was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 42, just like Princess Kate. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“We gave her reassurance that life goes on and gave her permission that she can still be happy, she’s allowed to be happy. She can go to parties and be with her friends.

“We had these amazing times of her coming and sitting on the bed, watching the news and playing with the dog. Even now, she still says ‘mum, you told me you were going to be okay’. It’s a really great opportunity to show them how to cope, ask for help and that it’s okay to be scared.”

In November 2021, Ms Potoczky developed a rash on her legs, chest and forehead and started suffering muscle fatigue and virus-like symptoms. Three months later, after a frustrating rush of medical visits and tests, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her weakened muscles – which were collateral damage in her immune system’s fight against the cancerous tumours – had sounded the alarm.

“Looking back, I had no significant symptoms that would easily identify ovarian cancer, even though I was in the late stages,” says the St Marys mum-of-one, who had a hysterectomy and omentectomy before – just like Princess Kate – started preventive chemotherapy.

Renata Potoczky with her nephews Hayden and Oscar, she was diagnosed with cancer in her early 40s. Picture Supplied

Renata Potoczky in hospital. Picture Supplied.

“I was only 43 and, with the average age of diagnosis around 65, cancer wasn’t on anyone’s radar,” she says.

Research shows that rates of cancer for people aged under 50 has risen dramatically.

A 2022 study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is attached to Harvard University in the US, showed the incidence of cancers – including breast, colon, kidney and liver – had risen between 1990 and 2019.

Locally, a Flinders University study shows the global incidence of pancreatic cancer in 15 to 49-year-olds had significantly increased over the past 20 years.

Ms Potoczky is now an ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer Australia support group and wants to share her message with other women facing a cancer diagnosis.

“Lean on your family and friends, reach out and talk – you are not alone, there are organisations to help and support you,” she says.

“Listen to your body ... agitate, push and get second opinions.”

Originally published as I was just like Kate: Mum’s cancer shock in her early 40s