Waipawa woman opens up about ovarian cancer: ‘Try not to let the cancer overtake everything else’

In 2018 Waipawa woman Sue Richardson had an ultrasound that showed ‘free fluid’ in her pelvis - four years later she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer.

Richardson said there were many tell-tale signs something was wrong and she repeatedly went to her GP with her concerns.

She suffered from extreme fatigue, chronic headaches, random back pain and chronic pelvic pain that made her fall over.

Sue Richardson from Waipawa has stage 3 ovarian cancer and keeps busy in her shed making and selling iron art. Photo / Michaela Gower

Then in 2021, at the age of 48, and three days before Christmas, Richardson visited her GP again and was told she had ascites or fluid buildup in her abdomen.

She was put on the list for a CT scan which revealed ovarian cancer.

It was then her life changed.

Richardson was left jobless and waiting for what she described as a spider web formation to shrink to be eligible for surgery.

“Ovarian cancer spreads like a spider web, so it’s a long time before you see it in a scan because it is so fine.”

She had frontline chemotherapy, the first treatment given for disease, in 2022 and a hysterectomy in Wellington. She was then cleared of the cancer for six months.

She said chemo knocked her around.

“I’d have a really bad week, a better week, a good week and then you get more”.

Then the symptoms returned. The cancer had come back.

“You go in and they give you this bad look and say it’s time to make your will, you need to get your affairs in order.”

Richardson is now back at the hospital for weekly chemo which she said was time-consuming and didn’t leave much room for her to have a life.

She is disappointed that it took so long to discover her cancer and feels if it was found earlier she would have had a better chance at a better life.

According to Ministry of Health data, ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer death for New Zealand women. Every 48 hours, about one Kiwi woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and one also dies from it.

Richardson describes herself as a cancer survivor. She said those words encourage her to keep going every day.

“You find something to focus on and try not to let the cancer overtake everything else, but some days that’s not quite as easy.”

Her passion for making and selling iron art keeps her busy out in the shed. There she creates colourful characters to be hung on garden fences. They range from animals to Postman Pat and even a cricket player.

Gynaecological Cancer Foundation Talk Peach urges Kiwi women to learn to recognise the symptoms of ovarian cancer with rates in NZ expected to grow 29% by 2035, according to World Heath Organisation data.

Symptoms of the disease may include having a bloated abdomen, always feeling full, discomfort, pressure, or pain in the abdomen or pelvic area, change in bowel habits, fatigue, kidney or bladder problems, abnormal vaginal bleeding or weight changes for no reason.

Tash Crosby, ovarian cancer survivor and founder of Talk Peach Gynaecological Cancer Foundation said early detection of ovarian cancer is vital.

She said it’s important that women are proactive about their health and visit the doctor with any concerns about symptoms of the disease.

“In the past, there was a bit of a stigma attached to anything ‘gynae’ and it was often referred to as ‘stomach issues’ by some women.”

She said the majority of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at the later stages of the disease and treatment options become more limited.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.