Kellie Finlayson, wife of AFL star Jeremy Finlayson, reveals PTSD after cancer treatment

Kellie Finlayson, who has aggressive bowel cancer, has opened up about the immense toll of her treatment - and the symptoms no one warned her she would face.

AFL star Jeremy Finlayson’s wife has opened up about the harsh – and often overlooked – side effects of cancer treatment and how it had left her with post-traumatic stress.

Kellie Finlayson, who in July announced her stage four bowel cancer had metastasised to her lungs, said the physical and emotional toll of her treatment was immense.

“I’m currently on chemotherapy, but undergoing a range of intense treatments took a toll on me,” she said.

“Before I didn’t really take PTSD seriously, but now I experience it myself to the point where I work myself up into this pool of anxiety before I get treatment, which makes me so much sicker.”

The 28-year-old, who is the new face of a global Fight With Care campaign launched by skincare brand La Roche-Posay, said at least 80 per cent of cancer patients suffered from skin conditions brought on by the treatment, including itching, burning, scars and severe dryness.

“Skin sensitivity is one of the main prominent symptoms that I’ve experienced from chemotherapy, which no one really talks about,” Mrs Finlayson said.

Kellie and Jeremy Finlayson with their daughter Sophia. Picture: Mark Brake

“There’s sensitivity where you’re either being radiated or if you’re having chemotherapy.

“I definitely do have to hide from those high UV rays and try to avoid them as much as I possibly can.”

Amid her daily battle, and hours spent on treatment at home, Finlayson has made it her mission to raise awareness for bowel cancer, a leading cancer killer among 25-34 year olds.

“Bowel cancer is definitely talked about more as an older person’s disease… it’s not,” she said.

“I was young, I was the fittest I’ve ever been, I just had a baby too, I was running marathons and just at the pinnacle of health.

“Yet, the cancer still managed to affect me and get me when I least expected it.”

Kellie Finlayson was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2021. Picture: Supplied

Now 28, she says she has experienced PTSD around treatments. Picture: Instagram

Since sharing her story three years ago, Finlayson said she continues to receive thousands of messages of support every week from the public.

“It has turned such an uncomfortable conversation into more of a comfortable one, and kind of starting to remove that stigma around it,” she said.

“People have come forward to me in such a short amount of time saying that they’ve either gotten a colonoscopy because of me or even got a symptom checked.

“I would never say that I’m scared to die, the only reason I’d be scared was for what I’m leaving behind which makes me fight harder.

“But at the same time, I’ve always kind of lived each day as if it was my last anyway, the only difference is that it’s borrowed time now.

“Statistically, I shouldn’t be here right now.”

Kellie and Jeremy Finlayson at the Port Adelaide Best & Fairest awards in 2024. Picture: Brendon Edwards

La Roche-Posay is continuing to commit funding to major supportive care initiatives including supporting a first of its kind dermo-oncology clinic at The Princess Alexandra Hospital Department of Dermatology in Queensland, as well sponsoring the McGrath Foundation to fund breast care nurses.

This specialised clinic, which has already helped more than 70 patients since May, allows oncology patients experiencing skin impacts to have direct access to specialised dermatological care through the hospital.

“In recent years immunotherapies have been very successful at controlling and in many cases curing cancer,” director of dermatology at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani said.

“Many patients however develop severe itch and a rash that can be quite debilitating

“At the Queensland clinic, we have been looking at preventing these adverse experiences and rapidly engaging and treating them when they occur.”

Originally published as Kellie Finlayson, wife of AFL star Jeremy Finlayson, reveals PTSD after cancer treatment