Kelly, WA

When the histopathology returned six days post-surgery, everything made sense. A slow-growing cancer: Carcinoid, or Neuroendocrine Tumour, a term only just coming into use at that time. My feelings? Overwhelmingly, relief. Validated after two and a half years of being dismissed. Some anger, too, but mostly relief to finally have a diagnosis I could understand and act on.

Before I was diagnosed, I had ongoing medical issues including bowel obstructions and endometriosis, which made it easy to dismiss my symptoms. But I started experiencing rashes across my chest, hot flushes, shortness of breath and heart palpitations. Something did not feel right.

This experience has made me a firm believer in screening, early diagnosis, and specialist NET care. I feel incredibly lucky — and grateful — that my NET was found at such an early, treatable stage.

There’s such little awareness about this cancer, even among medical professionals. I’ve had GPs say to me, “I’ve never seen a neuroendocrine cancer patient in my life.” And I tell them, “You probably have — you just didn’t diagnose them.”