A YOUNG doctor who lost his mother to cancer wants Eurobodalla women to come out in force next month to a plain-English seminar on the issue.
Tyson Sheean, 26, was in his fifth year of his medical studies when his mother, Vera, of Batemans Bay, was diagnosed in mid-2011 with ovarian cancer.
Mrs Sheean, who worked for Southern NSW Medicare Local, died in August last year.
Tyson is now a registrar at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, but will return to his hometown on March 1 to lead a series of lectures on women’s oncology, covering breast, ovarian and uterine cancers.
“The theme is ‘what your doctor would like to tell you about these cancers if they had the time’,” the former Batemans Bay High School student said.
“There is a disparity in knowledge and experience between doctors and patients, which leads to patients having an inadequate foundation for the decisions they make about their health.
“Doctors often don’t have the time to get this information across in an accessible fashion.”
Yet Tyson himself struggled to explain to relatives and friends what was happening during his mother’s illness.
“It led to a lot of angst,” he said.
“Cancer is not as straightforward as people think. They do not know what it is. They don’t understand the biological process or how treatments work, so it leads to anger when they are told the treatment has not worked, or the cancer has progressed, or it is now in the lymph nodes. They might reach for alternative therapies which lack evidence.”
His solution is a women’s-only information night at the Soldiers Club, with canapés, wine and music to sweeten a serious message.
A lot of people put things off in a rural area because they can’t get in to see a doctor and that is a major problem. – Tyson Sheean
Under the banner of the newly-formed Batemans Bay Community Health Awareness Initiative, Tyson wants women to walk out with a better understanding of cancers, their symptoms and treatments.
“It was something I need to do for closure after mum’s passing,” he said.
“If I could stop or ease the suffering of someone going through the same thing, that would be rewarding.”
An ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia, Tyson said his mother had experienced vague abdominal symptoms for some time, but an ultrasound had found no evidence of the cancer.
“She had been feeling unwell for a while, with non-specific vague abdominal pain and multiple presentations to the emergency department,” he said.
“Because these cancers can hide so deep in the pelvis, it can be very hard to find them until it is too late. It was not that there was any step missed or done wrongly.”
When she began to experience abdominal bloating, a CT scan was ordered and the cancer was found.
“It was already significantly advanced,” Tyson said.
Tyson believes women will embrace knowledge.
“A lot of people put things off in a rural area because they can’t get in to see a doctor and that is a major problem,” he said.
“Most present in the third or fourth stages, when it is already too late, but women have a strong sense of community and spirit. They are good at taking charge of their own health. We have faith that women in Batemans Bay, if they all band together and support each other, can get through anything.”
Tyson admits he is on a mission.
“I don’t do things half-heartedly,” he said.
“Mum was the kindest most loving person ever. She was the definition of ‘Mum’. She never judged anyone, and she was tough, tougher than anyone I have ever seen.
“She went to work, despite being on chemo, and worked up until two weeks before she passed.”
Tyson’s father Brett and sister Yasmin are supporting his efforts and he hopes to hold further lectures on children’s and men’s health.