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Single mum-of-three Sheree Fiorita dealt terminal cancer diagnosis

An Adelaide single mum-of-three went to hospital complaining of pain and left with a terminal diagnosis. Prior to that, she had no other symptoms.

'Dying at such a young age is confronting'

Single mother-of-three Sheree Fiorita went to Modbury hospital thinking at worst she had kidney stones, she had no idea she would be told she had terminal cancer.

“They took her in for a CAT scan … to find she had metastatic grade four cancer, everywhere,” her sister Michelle Majder told The Advertiser.

“In her abdominal area, she had it in both her kidneys, in her lungs, it was everywhere and that was her first presentation.

“(She) had no symptoms at all, no fatigue, no vomiting, no weight loss, zero symptoms … just pain in her right kidney.”

Ms Fiorita, 52, learnt a lack of symptoms was common for the type of cancer she was diagnosed with — stage four large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (‘LCNEC’) — an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Sheree Fiorita (middle left), who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, with her daughters Zaliyah, 17, (left) Airley, 12 (right) and Jaya, 11 (middle right). Picture: Supplied
Sheree Fiorita (middle left), who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, with her daughters Zaliyah, 17, (left) Airley, 12 (right) and Jaya, 11 (middle right). Picture: Supplied

Ms Majder, who has been a registered nurse for 32 years, said doctors told them LCNEC has a prognosis of 12 months from diagnosis.

“I guess like everyone who’s only 52, who’s very fit and healthy, (Sheree’s) always had a fear of death … but it wasn’t a fear of death, it was a fear of leaving her girls and that is the heart wrenching part,” her sister said.

Ms Fiorita has three daughters — Zaliyah, 17, Airley, 12 and Jaya, 11 — and they are her world.

Zaliyah is in year 12 and Jaya is a rising AFL star — it’s Ms Fiorita’s goal to watch Zaliyah graduate and Jaya finish her football season.

Since her diagnosis in May last year, the Mawson Lakes recruitment officer has undergone chemotherapy but it’s been unsuccessful.

Now she is undergoing immunotherapy, currently costing $3450 out-of-pocket per dose every three weeks, in the hopes of prolonging her life.

“She’s not worrying about her own health,” Ms Majder said.

“All her focus is worrying about her girls … she’s the true definition of a mother.”

All of Sheree’s focus is on her girls. Picture: Supplied
All of Sheree’s focus is on her girls. Picture: Supplied
Ms Majder, Sheree’s sister, said there is no support for the kids during this time. Picture: Supplied
Ms Majder, Sheree’s sister, said there is no support for the kids during this time. Picture: Supplied

Ms Majder is a pediatric intensive care nurse — she said in “all her years of nursing” she thought she’d be better at speaking to children about death.

She said there isn’t as much support when a parent with young children gets sick.

“I think that’s where we’ve failed, is to sit down and tell (the kids) the severity of Sheree’s illness because it is the most difficult thing to sit there and tell children that their mum might die,” Ms Majder said.

The women hope more can be done to support children whose parents are terminally ill.

Ms Majder said her sister “did everything right”.

“She did everything that you would say you do to avoid getting cancer and then for her to get this very, very, rare cancer … that’s been devastating” she said.

“Sheree is a non-smoker, she drank very minimal alcohol, she was in a healthy weight range, she exercised regularly, she didn’t live a stressful life.

“She kept saying what have I done wrong?”

If you’d like to donate to Ms Fiorita, you can here.

Originally published as Single mum-of-three Sheree Fiorita dealt terminal cancer diagnosis

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/south-australia/single-mumofthree-sheree-fiorita-dealt-terminal-cancer-diagnosis/news-story/3af61164556f46bd08f1c091d979337b