Macpherson instead opted for a “holistic” approach that included “intravenous drops, dentistry, osteopaths, chiropractors and spiritual work”, guided by two doctors based in Arizona in the US.
Now, she says this decision had an impact on her marriage.
She writes, “My diagnosis of breast cancer, followed by my final choice of Dr C’s holistic approach to recovery ... was not one that Jeff could trust or feel at ease about.
“And really this process was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she continued.
“It opened up the floodgates and everything changed. Our marriage was over and we both knew it.”
The couple broke up that same year. However, it wasn’t until this year that Macpherson shared her diagnosis. Now, she’s revealed she didn’t tell her family in Australia about her treatment plans either.
“I didn’t tell my family in Oz, not even my parents,” she writes.
“I didn’t want to put them in a situation where they were worrying from afar and I knew my choices were different from what they may have imagined was good for me.”
Macpherson’s decision to refuse chemotherapy sparked backlash this year – though experts have since pointed out the treatment is not typically offered for her type of cancer and surgery is usually sufficient to treat it at that stage.
She told the Australian Today show in September that she had “sought a lot of medical advice” and each doctor she spoke to had a different opinion.
“There was no clear path and there was no guarantees either way, so I just made a decision based on all the information that I gathered and what felt right for me.”
Macpherson said at the time that she was in remission and had been “healthy for a long time”.
For more information and resources about breast cancer, go to the Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand website here.
