WA mum misdiagnosed with post-natal depression actually had stage 4 cancer

A WA mum-of-two, who was told by doctors she was suffering from post-natal depression, has learned she has just months to live.

A mum-of-two who was told by doctors she was suffering from post-natal depression has now found out she has just months to live.

Following the birth of her second child in 2019, Chanelle Moles, from Fremantle, Western Australia, experienced exhaustion so severe that going for a walk could leave her bedridden for days.

Within two months of her daughter’s birth, Ms Moles went to her GP – where she was misdiagnosed with post-natal depression.

“Over the next 12 months, the fatigue became even more extreme, but with a toddler and a young baby, I thought this feeling was just normal,” the 34-year-old wrote in a blog detailing her experience.

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Perth mum-of-two Chanelle Moles with her husband, Graham, and their two children. Picture: Save Chanelle

“I knew something else was at play when I tried to dig myself out of this hole with exercise and healthy eating. I would go for a walk in the morning and found it very hard to get out of bed for days afterwards.

“My fatigue was frustrating, and it was taking a toll on the family and my relationship with my husband, Graham.”

After another visit to her doctor, she was prescribed with a blood test that revealed “extremely low iron and anaemia”, and after pushing for them to keep investigating her symptoms, she was referred to have a colonoscopy.

It was then – 14 months after Ms Moles had first gone to her GP – that they found a tumour in her colon, which had already spread to her liver, and she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

“At first we didn’t know it had spread and we thought, ‘It’s OK, we’ll get through it,’” Ms Moles told 9 News.

“From there it just became a series of nightmares, one after the other.”

It was 14 months after Ms Moles had first gone to her GP that doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 colon cancer. Picture: Save Chanelle

Following her diagnosis, she spent 13 months in and out of hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries and invasive chemotherapy. But her treatment options in Australia have run out.

In February, a surgery intended to remove the cancer – which had spread to her abdomen, ovaries and peritoneal cavity – was unsuccessful, and Ms Moles was given between six and 18 months to live.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have thought that within five years of becoming a mummy, I would be told I don’t have long to live,” she told The Daily Mail.

“Every day I wake up, I wish I could just ‘wake up’ from this nightmare and see that it was all just a dream.”

Now, the 34-year-old has been accepted to receive anti-neopeptide treatment in Houston, Texas which could potentially cure her cancer.

‘Never in my wildest dreams could I have thought that within five years of becoming a mummy, I would be told I don’t have long to live.’ Picture: Save Chanelle

Ms Moles has been accepted to receive peptide replacement therapy. Picture: Save Chanelle

The expensive, months-long procedure could help save her life. Picture: Save Chanelle

The family-of-four are desperately trying to cover the cost of the lengthy procedure, with loved ones launching a GoFundMe to help Ms Moles get the treatment she needs.

“I have a chance at being able to be here to see my children grow up, to live past 34 years,” she said.

“If you can find it in your heart and your means to help, please do. Not just for me, but for my kids. I don’t want to leave them, not yet.

“I love life and I am doing everything I possibly can to fight for mine.”

Within just days, the family’s goal of $150,000 was reached (it has since surpassed $200,000) and Ms Moles will leave for the US alongside her husband and children on May 13.

“Being told I have a few months left to live certainly knocked me about, but I am a fighter and I will not be defeated,” she said.

Originally published as WA mum misdiagnosed with post-natal depression actually had stage 4 cancer