Suzanne's Story
Suzanne's Story
If there’s one word you use to describe Suzanne Sanders, it wouldn’t be boring.
The Melbourne native has for many years done her best to live an interesting life. Whether that be in raising her family, spending time with her myriad of friends, or even in her work in the aged care sector, Suzanne does it all with a positive attitude and a smile on her face.
But none of that compares to her years as a competitive roller skater!
“Up until around five years ago, I was in a Master’s Team, and we competed all around Australia. As a child, I loved skating, and I was pretty good at it too, so I started what we call precision skating, which is like show skating. I’ve done it for most of my adult life. I loved the companionship and friendships that came from competing as part of a team. Sometimes we had up to 25 people on the team!”
After retiring from the sport, Suzanne kept herself busy looking after her Granddaughter, who is now almost 8.
“She kept me pretty busy, especially since her parents were working and I was only working part-time! I’d spend 3 days a week taking her to ballet, and sports programs, and just spending time with her.”
But, twelve months ago, Suzanne’s life changed when she was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer.
“I’d been pretty unwell for about 6 months before the diagnosis, and the doctors couldn’t figure out why I was so sick, and why I was losing weight so quickly. I did a blood test and that picked up diabetes just out of the blue. We don’t have a family history of diabetes, so that was a real shock. Initially, I was put on tablets to help, but my symptoms continued to get worse, and I was constantly feeling really sick. I couldn’t eat, and I had really severe back pain. So, at that point, I ended up seeing a Gastroenterologist who eventually discovered I had a tumour in the tail of my pancreas…. It’s inoperable where it is so chemotherapy was my only option.”
Yet, despite all of this, Suzanne is doing well and remained extremely positive.
“Yeah, the tumour’s shrunk a bit, and the doctors are all really happy with how I’m going. My hair’s even growing back! However, we had to be realistic due to the location of the tumour, so it is a palliative chemo treatment, but it seems to be holding the cancer at bay, and my symptoms have eased significantly. I used to be in so much pain I had to sleep sitting in a chair because I couldn’t lie down. Now, I have hardly any back pain or stomach cramping… I can eat anything and everything now! The treatment has given me a quality of life again.”
Whilst things are looking positive at the moment, Suzanne does admit that when the diagnosis came, she struggled to cope with what it meant.
“I’ve had to change my mindset. At the start, everything was terrible. I found it hard to get out of bed in the morning, I was just so sad all the time. But, I was lucky to have some amazing friends in my life, as well as my family, who helped turn me around and gave me a positive boost. Now, I’m just enjoying my life… I take every day as a blessing, another day where I get to experience a new adventure.”
And, speaking of new adventures, Suzanne’s daughter Shae (who participated in all the Put Your Foot Down Walks in 2023), is expecting her first child this year, making Suzanne a 2-time grandmother!
“Shae said to me that I couldn’t give up, especially when things were just so filled with sadness. She said I had to meet her first child, I had to be there for the birth. And that’s what I intend to do, I think that’s given me a real kick to find positivity in each day.”
“I’m also super lucky to have had incredible support from the other people in my life. My husband Brian, who has been by my side every day, taking me to chemo sessions every week… he has been amazing. My granddaughter Maddison, who I’m very close to, and my two children, Shae and Jayden. Each day they all remind me of what I have to live for.”
And whilst the change in attitude has played a massive role in her current health position, Suzanne feels strongly about creating a better future for pancreatic cancer patients.
“I truly think we need to see a change in education, both within the medical field and the public. So many of the symptoms are brushed off with no real explanation given as to why you might be experiencing them. As patients, we really have to be our own advocates… if you aren’t happy with the information being presented to you, go and get a second opinion. I’d love to see more people diagnosed earlier because we are more educated. When I was diagnosed, I didn’t even know where the freaking pancreas was! It’s not something you talk about, so people really need to be more educated.”
