Kim Hurley shares story amid concerns over undiagnosed cancer cases

Experts are concerned about undiagnosed cancer cases as Torquay mum who was told she had stage 4 cancer shares her story – and a warning.

Torquay's Kim Hurley, pictured with Coco, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Malignant Follicular Lymphoma. Picture: Alison Wynd

Torquay’s Kim Hurley is urging others to pay attention to their health, after she potentially lived with cancer for years before being diagnosed.

The 49-year-old mother of two kids, aged 12 and 14, was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant follicular lymphoma in 2019.

Before receiving the shattering news she had noticed she felt more tired and lethargic,

and had also experienced weeks of nausea.

Follicular lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma which attacks the body’s lymphatic system which normally helps fight infections.

“I had noticed feeling heavy and tired for months, but I put this off as signs of starting menopause or just being run down,” Mrs Hurley said,

“One weekend I really started to feel sore, so I called in sick and went to see a GP to get a certificate, still not considering my symptoms were a sign of something else going on.

“During my appointment, I spoke to my doctor about my symptoms, who immediately booked me for further testing.”

The following day she was told she had lymphoma.

“It was completely out of the blue,” she said.

A year before she had been hospitalised with pneumonia, which Mrs Hurley said was “probably an early indicator”.

“Had we got it then, we probably would have caught it at stage 3,” she said.

Seven tumours were found throughoutMrs Hurley’sbody.

She has undergone chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.

While she is currently tumour free she is being carefully monitored.

“The prognosis is that at some point the cancer probably will return, but it could be a month, a year, a decade,” she said.

She was hospitalised for pneumonia again earlier this year.

Kim Hurley and her family. Picture: Supplied

Geelong residents are being urged to act on unexplained symptoms and get up to date with cancer screening following alarming findings.

Cancer Council Victoria’s Victorian Cancer Registry estimated there were 1024 fewer cancer diagnoses than expected over 2020 and 2021 in regional Victoria, prompting concerns for people unknowingly living with cancer.

Mrs Hurley said the experience had been “very traumatic” for her family.

She urged people to act if they noticed changes in their health or body that didn’t go away, speak to a doctor, and don’t dismiss it.

“Timing is important,” she said.

“My oncologist said my cancer had been growing for two to three years without me noticing.

“But for at least six months before I was diagnosed, I felt the impact.

“I didn’t slow down to listen.”

Cancer Council Victoria’s head of screening, early detection and immunisation Kate Broun said to address higher cancer rates in regional Victoria, we needed to increase participation in Australia’s screening programs for bowel, breast and cervical cancer and people must act when they noticed unexplained symptoms.

“We know the earlier cancer is found, the better our chances of treating it,” she said.

Visit earlydetection.org.au for more information.

Originally published as Kim Hurley shares story amid concerns over undiagnosed cancer cases