System in dire straits, says cancer mum

Simone Antoniuk assumed the pain in her lower back was work related, maybe a slipped disc. It took more than 10 visits to various doctors and specialists before she found out she had terminal cancer.

It should have been detected in a CT scan the Rangiora woman had in June, but it was missed, and she wasn’t diagnosed until September.

But with a health system in ‘‘dire straits’’ things got missed, Antoniuk said.

The 42-year-old mum of four had been told she could have another 30 months to five years left.

‘‘I just need to live for as long as possible because I don’t want to miss anything . . . that sounds kind of selfish, but I just think children need their parents.’’

Antoniuk had experienced constant lower back pain for about a year, something the preschool teacher thought was nothing out of the ordinary. ‘‘I’d been to the doctor about 10 times with back pain and other health issues.’’

A physio referred her to a back specialist who did an MRI in September. The scan found cancer in her bones.

It was an ‘‘absolute shock’’ for Antoniuk, who had gone to the appointment on her own expecting to be told she had slipped a disc. ‘‘I thought it must be a mistake. I looked in the mirror and thought ‘I don’t look sick, I don’t feel sick’ – not enough, I thought, for someone with cancer.’’

She later found out it was lung cancer that had spread through her bones. ‘‘It was a surprise considering I have never been a smoker.’’

Antoniuk went home and was told to wait for a letter confirming an appointment regarding the next steps. ‘‘It seems so archaic, it’s such an old system. Why would you send something like that in the post after you’ve basically just dropped a bomb on them.’’

Back in March, Antoniuk had issues with swelling and went to an ear nose and throat specialist. She was sent for a CT scan in June where a note was made of a ‘‘possible bony hill’’, but it was missed as cancer. ‘‘It’s really disappointing, frustrating. It makes you feel pretty angry that you put all your trust in the system . . . I know people make mistakes, but your life is quite important.’’

It is unknown whether earlier detection would have made a difference to Antoniuk’s situation.

She was unsure whether she had come to terms with her diagnosis. ‘‘You don’t think you won’t grow old.’’

Antoniuk has four daughters: Isabella, 20, Amelie, 16, Felicitie, 14, and Eloise, 10. ‘‘You never think you’re going to leave them. It’s far too early. I’ll do whatever I can to stay healthy so I can have that time with them.’’

It had been a month since she was given a funded drug to prolong her life, and so far it appeared working, she said. When it stopped working, Antoniuk would have chemotherapy.

She urged people to get a second opinion if they believed something was not right with their health. ‘‘Mothers tend to put themselves last, you just keep going, but if you feel like there’s something wrong . . . you have to advocate for yourself.’’

The family had booked a holiday to Australia in the coming months. Antoniuk was still working in the job she loved and taking things one day at a time. Friends set up a Givealittle page to help cover the cost of private scans and specialist appointments, and to help the family do things together over the next few years.

‘‘It seems so archaic, it’s such an old system. Why would you send something like that in the post after you’ve basically just dropped a bomb on them.’’

Simone Antoniuk