Mundingburra MP waits for her cancer test results

Townsville’s assistant minister is waiting for her latest test results, as she progresses with a trial drug and chemotherapy in her first few months as a politician.

Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland Janelle Poole has been going through cancer treatment in her first few months as a politician. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mundingburra MP Janelle Poole said she is expecting new test results any day now, as she progresses through her chemotherapy treatment.

“So that’s exciting, but I’m also very anxious about that as well, whilst I feel really good in myself, and there’s no pain, you still want a positive outcome,” Mrs Poole said.

Three weeks before the state election last October the then long-serving police officer revealed she had been diagnosed with follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

But even with the time it has taken receiving treatment the recently appointed assistant minister for North Queensland reiterated that the diagnosis had not impacted her work as a state parliamentarian.

Mrs Poole said she was also on a trial drug which required an injection each week, and only had three more monthly chemotherapy sessions remaining.

Premier David Crisafulli with Member for Mundingburra Janelle Poole at the Townsville Police Station. They both have history at that station, with Mrs Poole being a former police officer, and Mr Crisafulli being a former television reporter on the crime beat. Picture: Evan Morgan

She had completed scans on Monday and hoped to receive the results at the end of the week, but she was feeling “really good”.

“And then I have a weekly trial drug needle up until February, and then that goes to monthly as well to the end of the year,” she said.

The recently appointed assistant minister said she had been “so blessed” with limited after effects from her treatments, except for thinning of her hair.

“The number of people that have reached out sharing their journey with their cancer treatment as well, it puts yours in perspective.

“I can control my attitude, that’s all I can control.

“Everything else is out of my hands.

“I think it’s important people know, but as I said, I am so blessed, because there are so many people out there who are affected adversely with their treatments.

“That’s one thing that the doctors said right from the very start, it will not stop you doing anything, and it hasn’t.

“I think there’s been a lot of proof of that and I’m a 100 mile an hour girl, I like to get things done, but I’ve been so lucky pain free, and it’s just been the time that the short periods of time that you need to take out to get those treatments.

“But it doesn’t stop me, because whilst I’m getting my treatment, I’m also in doing Zoom meetings and checking emails, so it’s all about good use of your time, time management.”

Ms Poole believed that revealing the diagnosis weeks before the election could possibly have impacted her chances against the incumbent Labor MP Les Walker.

But she said it was “non-negotiable” that the Mundingburra voter was told about her health before election day.

“The community needed to know that, because if just one person had said ‘I would never have voted for her if I had known that’, that wouldn’t sit well with me, that would actually hurt.”

Mrs Poole praised the staff at the Townsville University Hospital, and said she had also had the chance through her treatment to hear the experiences from other cancer patients.

Originally published as Mundingburra MP waits for her cancer test results