Kellie Finlayson reveals positive update in her cancer battle

Despite some incredible news in her cancer battle, Kellie Finlayson has opened up about her plans to leave a special message for her daughter if she has to say goodbye.

When Kellie Finlayson was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer at 25 years old, she was told she may not survive to see her daughter’s first day of school.

But in news she didn’t think possible three months ago, the mother and advocate has learnt that she may live for that day – and beyond.

Last month, Kellie had a restaging scan which showed extremely positive signs that her chemotherapy treatment was working “unbelievably well”.

While her diagnosis remains terminal, Kellie will be rescanned again in another three months – which will give her a better idea of her long-term prognosis.

“After all the chemotherapy I had, they did a CAT scan … all the scans and they came back with no activity,” the 27-year-old said.

“What that means is that if there is cancer in there, it’s dormant which means it’s not spreading, which is obviously fantastic.

“If it means that I‘m here to see my daughter go to school for the first day or go to her 21st, that’s not something I thought I’d have three months ago.”

Kellie, who married Port Adelaide star Jeremy Finlayson in a surprise wedding earlier this year, said even her medical team was shocked by the news.

“Obviously with the prognosis that I had, we didn’t think that would happen. My oncologist rang me … he’s like, this is crazy … he was shocked – I’m really lucky,” she said.

Kellie Finlayson with her husband Jeremy and daughter Sophia. Picture: Russell Millard

Kellie and her husband, Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson, at the 2023 SA Woman of the Year Awards, where she won The Advertiser Foundation Inspiration Award. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Kellie and her daughter Sophia, who turns 2 in August. Picture: @coilhairstudio

After months of gruelling treatment, Kellie said her cancer was now “probably small enough for chemotherapy to kill it off”.

“I’ve got a couple of rounds of chemo left and then radiating the one lesion (on the lung) that did show up,” she said.

“So in three months time, I could technically be cancer-free again.”

But the reality remains that Kellie still has stage four colorectal cancer and, until she’s clear for 10 years, that diagnosis will remain.

“Until they tell me that I’ve got three weeks or three months, I’m going to believe that I’m going to be here for 80 years. I live for every day and try and make the most of every moment I do have with my daughter and husband,” she told The Project on Monday.

“I’ve thought about (if I was going to die) – I do have things in place for if I’ve only got a certain amount of time left.

“Like, ‘Happy 18th birthday’, or, ‘Happy 21st birthday’ – or, if it’s sooner, a teddy bear with a voice box.

“I haven’t made any of the recordings because I think that, once I’ve made the recordings or wrote the notes, I’ve admitted defeat – and I’m not ready to do that yet.”

A vocal advocate who recently signed as a Jodi Lee Foundation ambassador, Kellie wants to be a “pillar of hope” for others given a palliative prognosis.

Kellie Finlayson, the wife of AFL player Jeremy Finlayson, is fighting to save other people's lives in the face of her own battle with terminal cancer. pic.twitter.com/vTRcNV2prw

— The Project (@theprojecttv) May 29, 2023

In November 2021, Kellie was suffering from severe constipation and abdominal pain – but brushed off her symptoms as post-partum issues, having given birth to her “beautiful girl” Sophia just three months earlier.

She said cancer “never even crossed her mind”.

Kellie Finlayson in hospital. Picture: supplied

Kellie Finlayson with husband Jeremy Finlayson and their daughter Sophia. Picture: Instagram

“As a female it is so easy to pass off symptoms as so many other things,” she said.

“I was googling my symptoms and just assumed I had a food intolerance, or worst-case scenario, irritable bowel syndrome.”

Kellie was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer. After a brave fight and gruelling rounds of treatment, she was dealt another devastating blow when she learned the cancer had metastasised in her chest.

She has since shared her journey with her 34,000 Instagram followers – signing off her posts with a simple but powerful message: “Check your poo xoxo”.

Kellie received the The Advertiser Foundation Inspiration Award at The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and SkyCity Woman of the Year Awards in March this year. Soon after, she returned to “the chair” to receive more rounds of chemotherapy.

“If I save one person’s life …” she said of what gives her the strength to tell her story.

“It’s easier spoken about than hidden away.”

Jeremy Finlayson said at the awards it was “special to marry such a strong woman”.

“She gets messages every day from young girls who say she’s saved their lives,” he said.

“It’s truly amazing and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Earlier this month new guidelines commissioned by the federal government recommended bowel cancer screenings should start five years earlier, at the age of 45.

Kellie welcomed any move to expand free bowel cancer screening, saying it was “a step in the right direction”.

“It’s huge, considering it’s been (offered at age) 50 for so many years,” she said.

“The more readily available (screening tests) are to people the better, at any age.”

Kellie, who is also a Jodi Lee Foundation ambassador, told The Advertiser it would help to make tests accessible to people aged 40 to 44 through their GP but she believed “GPs should be mentioning it to all ages”.

“Obviously I’m 27, so I’m much younger than that age bracket,” she said.

The mum’s comments come as an increasing number of younger Australians are being diagnosed with the cancer, which now kills more people aged 25-44 than any other type.

Originally published as Kellie Finlayson reveals positive update in her cancer battle