Kate King, mum of two who has recovered from thyroid cancer. Photo/Andrew Warner
After a cancer diagnosis and eight surgeries, with a ninth operation looming, mum of two Kate King has had a lot to deal with in the last four years, during which time she also gave birth to her two children.
Her experience has taught her not to get preoccupied in life with things that don't matter, and she urges other women to instead devote energy "truly appreciating what you have simply by being well". IT professional Kate's journey started four years ago during her first pregnancy. Everything seemed normal until 36 weeks in when Kate mentioned to her midwife that she was having difficulty breathing.
After a referral to the hospital they discovered a mass obstructing her airways. Doctors said she was lucky to be breathing and there was no guarantee it wouldn't increase.
Since the pressure during natural labour could have caused the mass to swell and close the airway completely, Kate had a caesarean two days later.
"When baby was 10 days old, I was back in, and the mass had grown."
To help her breathing they attempted to get a breathing tube down, but the surgery wasn't successful and she was left with a newborn baby, and a tracheotomy for four weeks before more surgery. "I didn't feel like a mother, I felt like a burden ... I couldn't pick up my baby as I was 10 days out from a C-section. Mum stayed in the hospital on a mattress on the floor for weeks because my husband couldn't get time off work."
A couple of surgeries later they successfully removed the mass but were unable to test for cancer.
After a difficult year, emotionally and physically, Kate got pregnant with her second baby and the same thing happened again. After another caesarean, Kate was rushed back to theatre to stop the bleeding. When the second mass was removed it tested positive for thyroid cancer.
"A few months later a biopsy of my thyroid gland came back with suspicious nodules and the recommendation of a total thyroidectomy given my medical history. The recovery from thyroid removal was the hardest. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally."
Kate says one of the biggest lessons through her health journey was advocating for herself. "It was a constant battle to get tests and imaging done and believing that it must be in my head. It takes internal strength and belief in yourself that you are worth it."
She also found it helpful to get counselling. "There are a lot of things going on in your mind that sometimes you don't feel like you can talk to your significant other about. I know from my experience, I want to talk about it, almost to work it through, and my husband is absolutely wonderful, but it's the same thing over and over again. I found it helpful to see someone to work out tactics to deal with life and priorities."
Now four years later, eight surgeries, a cancer diagnosis, two children and another surgery for a hysterectomy coming up - she's stronger than ever.
Kate says, "People have told me how strong I am, how well I'm coping - but really, you just have to be. It's just another bump in the road that is your life. It's so easy to get down about the things that happen to you and start thinking like the victim, but really - everyone has a journey and this is mine. Try to be positive about your journey and look to find the things that make you happy, not dwell on what upsets you. I am back working in an IT career that I adore and am walking proof that through every battle there is a good thing just round."