Couple who received their cancer diagnosis just hours apart fight to stay alive for their 2 young children
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA: An Adelaide couple is fighting to stay alive for their two young kids after being diagnosed with vicious form of cancer on the same day. Kirsty and Steve Lee received the heart-shattering news on Tuesday, November 22.
The mother was having a happy normal day until she got a call from her GP to inform her that she had stage 3 breast cancer. The situation worsened after her husband, just hours later, went to the hospital to be told by his surgeon that he had been diagnosed with rectal cancer.
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The news of their diagnosis came after Kirsty underwent mammography following discovering a lump on her left breast while Steve recently got a colonoscopy which returned abnormal results. The couple is now looking down to begin six to 12 months of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries in December. The couple has to endure all this while taking care of their five-year-old daughter and four-year-old son. The couple exchanged vows before pandemic lockdowns in 2020 after sharing a six-year-long romantic relationship.
To help the couple battle cancer, a family friend, Sonya Kohlhagen has set up a GoFundMe page for them. "Life with kids at this stage is not always easy, but it is absolutely worth the challenge and they wouldn’t have it any other way," the fundraiser says. "In December they will both begin 6-12 months of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. This will be tough. They’ll probably need to move out of their house. But to see them go through it at the same time, and with kids at that age, that’s what really breaks my heart." At the time of publication, the fundraising page has already raised $22,790 of the $30,000 goal.
Kohlhagen even told 9News that the diagnosis has turned the couple’s life upside down. "Steve had some abnormal results from a colonoscopy the week before and they suspected rectal cancer," Kohlhagen said. "They're just really unassuming and humble. Just really happy with the simple things in life... Their life really is family. They go for bike rides and to the beach, so the thought they will have times where they can't get out of bed, I think that's what gets them."
According to Cancer Australia, breast cancer was, in 2018, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and is expected to remain that common this year. In 2022, it's estimated 20,640 new cases will be diagnosed, with women having a one in eight risk of being diagnosed by the age of 85 and men a one in 668 risks. Talking about Rectal cancer, more than 15,700 people were expected to be diagnosed in 2022 alone, according to the report. In 2020, bowel cancer was the second highest cause of cancer death in Australia. But, 71 percent of people survive five years or more.