I’m a teacher with incurable cancer – I can show students there’s more to life than trauma

Whangārei teacher Stacey Schultz, 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. It has since metastasised to her brain, and she will undergo treatment for the rest of her life. Photo / Supplied

Whangārei secondary school teacher Stacey Schultz, 33, was diagnosed with cancer months after moving from South Africa to New Zealand. Now her cancer is Stage 4, she will undergo treatment for the rest of her life. She tells Bethany Reitsma how her students, her community and the charity Look Good, Feel Better are getting her through.

I landed in New Zealand in March 2023. In October 2023, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Within three weeks of going to the GP to seeing a specialist to starting treatment, it was really speedy, and I’m thankful for it. Though there were moments that I said, “Can time just calm down so that I can internalise what’s happening?”

But everything just kept rolling, which was actually for the better.

In October 2024, my department at school bought balloons and cake and celebrated and said, “You’re done with treatment, you’ve done your journey”. And we thought we were finished.

Then, in November 2024, I was informed that it had metastasised to the brain, to the cerebellum. I had surgery on December 18 and in January, I was informed it had metastasised to the brain again.

I was told there was a treatment option, but that treatment is basically for life. Every three weeks for the rest of my life.

That hit me mentally. I became very angry, not understanding the why, trying to puzzle how this could have happened.

Being a teacher, we’re building our future. But I’m actually teaching students a life lesson that they would never get if this didn’t happen. Now I enjoy going to work, because I can show the students there’s more to life than our trauma or the bad things that happen.

It doesn’t define us.

Stacey Schultz moved to New Zealand in March 2023. Photo / Supplied

I’ve always had the motto, “Be honest”. When I was first diagnosed, I informed all my students.

When they ask me, “Miss, are you okay?” If I’m not okay at that moment, then I tell them. I give them the reason, and I break it down with them.

Some of them found me to be a resilient person that they’re learning resilience from, and that gave me reassurance that being honest with them is the best policy.

When it’s really bad, I don’t tell them the gory details. Some of them have gone through it with a family member or someone else, so they know what’s going on.

There was a private treatment I couldn’t afford, and my colleagues took it upon themselves to start raising funds.

Stacey Schultz's colleagues and students helped raise funds for her cancer treatment. Photo / Supplied

It was absolutely incredible, and some of the students gave out of their own money from working hard, others asked their parents. There was a student who shaved their hair off in support.

Because I’m an immigrant, I truly felt like I needed to give my everything to a country that’s accepted me, yet it’s the other way around.

I did go through a big phase of not being okay and struggling to comprehend that this is forever. I truly went through a moment where I lost my name. I just became a cancer patient.

But when you sit down and you reflect and you just focus on your own mental health, you realise that you have not gone anywhere. You’re still the person that you are.

When I met up with people, it would be, “How’s it going? What’s the cancer like? When’s your next treatment?”

Stacey Schultz is grateful for the support of charity Look Good, Feel Better as she undergoes cancer treatment. Photo / Supplied

I would really like it if people could have normal conversations with those of us going through treatment.

Ask what we’re doing on the weekend, ask what our holiday plans are. Ask about our families. Smile, give us a hug. Make sure we know you are there, and we need to make sure that people understand how we feel and what we’re going through.

For me, losing my hair was incredibly hard. Waking up in the morning and getting dressed some days takes so much effort, so makeup just doesn’t happen anymore. I never wore a lot, but I wore mascara. I lost all of that.

Look Good, Feel Better was honestly a saviour for me. It made me see there are other people out there who embrace every single moment they go through.

At my lowest point, they were the ones helping me the most.

They’re not just helping financially. They help give life and meaning to so many people.

About Look Good, Feel Better

Look Good, Feel Better offers cancer support through free wellbeing classes, from skincare and makeup tutorials to yoga and mindfulness sessions.

This month marks the charity’s campaign Still Me September, which is “about the impact cancer has beyond the disease”, general manager Clare O’Higgins says.

“While doctors and nurses focus on treating the disease, we focus on the person. Our free classes and resources stand with them in their toughest moments, helping them feel seen, truly supported and more than just a patient.

“No matter how much cancer takes, it must never take away the person beneath it all – it could be you, me, or someone we love.”

You can learn more and donate to the campaign at stillme.org.nz