Third bout with cancer - 'MY NEW LEASE ON LIFE'

Rather than living in fear, Mary is embracing an adventure-filled future

- Hayley McLarin

When Mary Dobson unexpectedly lost 15kg, she knew something wasn't right.

She was already a twotime cancer survivor, but at repeated appointments her GP believed ageing was the cause of her latest symptoms.

Unconvinced, the New Plymouth 67-year-old refused to give up until finally a different doctor advised her to get a private ultrasound.

"I knew there was something definitely wrong," recalls Mary, who first sought medical attention in December 2020.

In June 2021, her instinct was proven right when a scan revealed a three-centimetre tumour on her pancreas.

This was Mary's third cancer diagnosis - having previously recovered from thyroid cancer many years ago and more recently malignant melanoma.

Devastatingly, the news of pancreatic cancer also came just three weeks after her husband of 46 years Graeme passed away.

Mary was gutted but still determined to fight.

Next came a six-and-a-half-hour surgery, followed by six months of chemotherapy, which also meant retiring from her job as a registered nurse working in acute mental health to focus on treatment.

“I was going through something really horrible,” shares Mary. “I had a cancer where there’s no guarantee chemo will be the cure. There are no guarantees of what tomorrow is going to bring.”