Tabitha Triplett with her partner, Jesse, and three kids. Photo: Supplied.
An Albury-Wodonga mum battling cervical cancer has issued a wake-up call to policy makers after after spending months on a waiting list to see a specialist.
After an abnormal cervical screening result late last year, Tabitha Triplett was put on a waiting list to see a gynaecologist for further investigations. But after her first appointment was cancelled due to double-booking at the clinic, and Tabitha having to cancel her second appointment due to illness, she wasn’t able to re-book until July this year.
The 35-year-old is sharing her story during Cervical Cancer Awareness Week (17 to 23 November) to raise awareness of the barriers younger Australians face when navigating the cancer care system.
“My doctor assured me this often happens and doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong,” Tabitha said.
“At this point, I didn’t care too much about the delays with the appointment as I was told it was unlikely the results meant anything bad.”
But in May this year, while at work, Tabitha suddenly had extremely heavy bleeding. She visited Urgent Care, but they were unable to see what was wrong because there was too much blood and referred her to hospital.
By this time, Tabitha was soaking a maternity-style pad each hour, but at hospital, she was told it was probably “just a bad period”.
“I got frustrated at the doctor and told them that at 35 years of age, I was old enough to know what a period was like,” she said.
Finally, Tabitha had an ultrasound, which found a 5 cm growth on her cervix.
“Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster of appointments, scans, tests and procedures while still trying to maintain employment and normality to protect and support my children,” she said.
Almost 1000 women in Australia are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, with 250 dying from the condition annually. Women over 35 are at most risk, but it can strike at any age.
CEO of Rare Cancers Australia Christine Cockburn said decision-makers in Canberra needed to be aware of this insidious disease and the experience many women, like Tabitha, were enduring.
“Cervical cancer often has no symptoms, making screening the best way to detect it, but long waits for specialists and the assumption young people can’t be seriously ill can lead to delayed diagnoses,” she said.
“While much of the discussion about cervical cancer focuses on prevention through the cervical cancer vaccine, and early detection through regular screening, stories like Tabitha’s show people are still slipping through the cracks.
“While Tabitha’s cancer is rare, her experience is not. People diagnosed with rare and less common cancers are more likely to experience delays, misdiagnosis, financial toxicity and barriers to standard-of-care treatments.”
Tabitha’s treatment includes radiotherapy, chemotherapy, brachytherapy and immunotherapy.
She also learned that immunotherapy – considered her best hope for long-term survival – was not subsidised on the PBS for her specific diagnosis. This left her facing a $61,000 bill for two years of treatment.
“I went into the appointment worried about covering the loss of my wage, and I left realising that was nothing compared to the cost of treatment,” she said.
After launching crowdfunding and paying more than $20,000 to start treatment, Tabitha has now thankfully been granted compassionate access to complete her immunotherapy – a relief she describes as “life-changing”.
Tabitha’s experience underscores the urgent need for timely diagnosis, genomic-led care and treatment, and supportive care that meets the needs of younger patients, including support managing work, finances and mental health.
“I do not want anyone else to go through what I did,” Tabitha said.
