A 40-year-old mom is fighting for her life after she went to bed one night and “woke up with Stage 4 bowel cancer.”
Helen Worthington, a primary school teacher from Adelaide, had no idea what awaited her when she suddenly felt an “uncomfortable” twinge in her abdomen in the early hours of August 27 last year.
“Nothing really made sense,” she told news.com.au. “I initially thought I may be coming down with gastro.”
Also struggling with a sharp pain higher in her stomach, Worthington decided to seek help later in the morning and visited a nearby emergency department after she was unable to book an appointment with her GP.
Fearing that she was making a mountain out of a molehill, the mom even apologized to physicians for using the hospital’s valuable resources.
“I didn’t want to make a fuss or waste anyone’s time,” she said.
“I’m rarely unwell, so I thought it was probably nothing serious and that I’d be told I was absolutely fine. I certainly didn’t expect what followed.”
Fortunately, doctors did take Worthington seriously from the moment she arrived.
“Although they initially thought there could be a very simple explanation for my pain, they made us feel that we had done the right thing by coming in and getting it investigated,” the teacher said.
“Things escalated very quickly. I went from thinking I had gastritis to being told I had stage four bowel cancer. There was no gradual realization that something might be wrong. It was a complete shock.”
Mom breaks horror news to daughter
In the days that followed, the teacher struggled to believe that she not only had cancer, but that it had already spread to her liver.
Until those painful early morning hours, she hadn’t suffered any symptoms.
“I spent a long time trying to work out how I had missed it. Other than feeling a little tired, I really had no symptoms. I wasn’t someone who had spent months feeling unwell or trying to find answers,” she said.
“It’s hard to make sense of how something so serious could have been happening without me knowing.”
Less than 24 hours after doctors discovered the cancer, Worthington underwent emergency surgery to remove the affected section of her bowel before starting chemotherapy. Yet the most brutal blow came when she had to break the devastating news to her 12-year-old daughter, Molly.
“I couldn’t promise her that everything was going to be okay because I didn’t know that myself,” she said.
Worthington’s cancer has a BRAF V600E mutation, meaning it is more aggressive. She just completed her 27th round of chemotherapy.
“My current treatment plan is to continue chemotherapy for as long as it’s working and my body can tolerate it, while monitoring the cancer through regular scans,” she said.
“There is no set end date for chemotherapy. The aim is to keep the cancer under control for as long as possible.”
Teacher’s fitness improves during treatment
Another treatment that is helping her maintain a fit body and mind is medically prescribed exercise.
When the mom, who was never a big fan of the gym, was encouraged by her sister-in-law, an oncology physiotherapist, to incorporate exercise into her care, she was sceptical.
But it has proved to be a “pivotal part” of her journey.
Worthington, who was introduced to oncology physiotherapist and founder of Adelaide’s Lift Cancer Care Services, Lauren Whiting, said she hadn’t expected to be able to build muscle while undergoing chemotherapy.
“Physically, I’ve become fitter and stronger,” she said.
“Mentally, exercise gives me something I can actively do for myself. So much of cancer is outside my control. I can’t control my scan results, how the cancer responds, or what treatment comes next. But I can work on my strength and fitness.”
Prescribed exercise proven to help cancer patients
The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia has stated that exercise should be included in standard cancer care.
It recommends that people battling the disease participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, a week. Two to three strength-building sessions are also encouraged.
Doing so can reduce the severity of treatment side effects, improve physical function, potentially reduce cancer recurrence, and improve survival for some cancer types, according to Cancer Council NSW.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions about cancer treatment is that people should avoid exercise and conserve all their energy,” Whiting told news.com.au.
“Of course, rest is important, and there are times when someone genuinely needs to rest. But we also know that prolonged inactivity can contribute to muscle loss, weakness, and fatigue, making everyday activities even more difficult.
“The important distinction is that medically prescribed exercise isn’t the same as telling someone to go for a walk or join a gym. It’s a carefully tailored intervention that considers their cancer diagnosis, treatment, medical history, symptoms, and physical capabilities.”
This year, a major economic analysis from Deloitte Access Economics found that when it comes to cancer care, every $1 invested in exercise physiology produced approximately $3 in economic benefits.
Despite all of the above, access remains inconsistent, Whiting said.
“The challenge isn’t simply convincing people that exercise is beneficial,” she said.
“It’s actually building the systems that allow it to be delivered as part of routine cancer care. That means having appropriate referral pathways, funding mechanisms, trained clinicians, and the infrastructure to provide these services safely and consistently.”
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