Devastating bowel cancer diagnosis: ‘How my husband’s death saved my life’

Mark Vigors’ tragic terminal cancer led to life-saving treatment for his wife Kim. Photo / Woman's Day

When Kim and Mark Vigors got the horrific news that he had terminal bowel cancer, they never expected his death might save Kim’s life.

But after he passed away in May 2022, at age 38, Mark’s partner of a decade asked to be referred for a target="_blank">colonoscopy, since she’d always had a “dodgy” stomach.

Kim wanted to ensure her daughters wouldn’t lose both parents and it was lucky she did. The Christchurch mum had 15 polyps in her bowel that would’ve likely turned into cancer by the time she was 50.

“I was also diagnosed with a gastric syndrome that’ll probably cause more polyps, but now it’s really unlikely I’ll develop bowel cancer because we know about it and I have a treatment plan,” says Kim, 40, who moved back to the South Island in January after living in Brisbane for 16 years.

“If I was in New Zealand, I wouldn’t have been able to insist on getting a colonoscopy. They aren’t available on request here for younger people wanting peace of mind.”

Although the mum of Greer, 6, and Odette, 3, was fortunate to have the polyps removed, the cancer diagnosis for her husband came too late.

When Australian-born mechanical engineer Mark had abdominal discomfort, along with back pain, the loving dad was given a two-week course of medication for a stomach ulcer. When it didn’t subside, he went back to the doctor.

“Mark originally attributed his back pain to an old sporting injury, but it started waking him at night,” recalls Kim. “All his blood test results came back fine, despite the fact he had cancer in his lungs, liver and lymph nodes.”

Now, watching their daughters enjoy life back in Christchurch, where she was raised, is what gets Kim through.  Photo / Woman's Day

When the doctor suggested irritable bowel syndrome, he sent Mark for an MRI of his abdomen to check for thickening of the stomach lining. Tragically, he was instead diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.

“Mark was so brave,” Kim says through tears. “He just took it in his stride and was worried about how I was feeling. He was really stoic and focused on what he could do to aid his treatment plan, so he could stay with us for as long as he could.”

Mark requested Kim buy a new iPhone, so she had the best-quality camera for taking photos and videos of him to show their daughters. While they waited six months for his insurance payments to kick in, Kim continued working while caring for her sick husband and the girls, running purely on adrenaline.

“After his diagnosis, Mark said he’d lived such a full life,” says Kim, who works in human resources.

“He was your typical Aussie larrikin, super-cheeky but also charming and genuine, with a big, welcoming smile. I loved that everybody felt better when they walked away from an interaction with him.”

When multiple operations, chemo and immunotherapy didn’t work, Mark’s last option was a four-month combination of medications Cetuximab and Encorafenib, which would give him a chance at the best-case scenario, an estimated 12 months. But the treatment cost $50,000 a month.

“It’s a price I would’ve paid a thousand times over to keep Mark alive as long as possible, even if I was left with nothing,” Kim says. “But I’m eternally grateful we didn’t have to.”

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Just four days before Mark started treatment, having planned to remortgage their home in Brisbane and making arrangements to claim his life insurance early because of his terminal diagnosis, the medication went onto the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. It would cost the couple just $40 per month.

“If we were in New Zealand, I’d be out of pocket up to $300,000 for Mark’s treatment,” Kim explains. “We’ve got one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the developed world but the least access to funded treatment.”

Mark and Kim’s story is being used as a case study in an open letter to Pharmac, New Zealand’s drug-buying agency, as a plea for more funding for critical cancer medication. Written by Dr Kate Clarke, a member of the Gut Cancer Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee, it highlights Aotearoa’s inequities in drug funding compared to other countries.

But it’s how she met Mark that Kim really loves talking about. In 2012, having finished a first-aid course early, she and a friend headed to a sunny beer garden for a drink. Deciding they were having too much fun, they ditched their restaurant reservations and when a group of guys asked to share their table so they could watch the NRL on a nearby TV, she laid eyes on Mark.

Mark and Kim’s story is being used as a case study in an open letter to Pharmac, New Zealand’s drug-buying agency. Photo / Woman's Day

“We shared banter throughout the evening and the next day he texted to invite me on a date,” recalls Kim, who married the love of her life three years later. “Lots of things had to align for us to all be there and we were absolutely meant to be.”

Now, watching their daughters enjoy life back in Christchurch, where she was raised, is what gets Kim through.

“They’re kids, so one day we’ll be talking about grief and being super-sad that Daddy has passed, and then in almost the same breath, they’ll say they’re hungry,” Kim laughs. “We talk about Mark a lot. You’ve just got to get into mum mode and keep going.”