Selwyn_Times: February 07, 2024

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Selwyn Times Wednesday February 7 2024 6 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Battle with ovarian cancer spurs trek • By Daniel Alvey WHEN WENDY Gerritsen was diagnosed with ovarian cancer it was nearly too late, now she’s hopping on her horse to get her message out. Gerritsen, 54, of Rolleston will spend the next month riding around the South Island on her horse Anmoch to mark ovarian cancer awareness month. She started in Oxford on the weekend and expects to finish in Melwood on March 2. For the first week of her journey, she will be riding with her daughters Alex, 20, and Sarah, 19. Then she will be mostly riding solo for the reminder. Between towns, the horses will be loaded into a horse trailer driven by her husband Stuart. The money raised on her ride will go to the Ovarian Cancer Foundation to assist with research. She was first diagnosed in April 2021. “It was definitely a shock and I was pretty jolly sick to be fair,’ Gerritsen said. After an appointment with her doctor, she was sent for a scan almost immediately. The scan indicated a growth on her ovary and by the end of the week she had become very sick, putting her in the hospital. There, doctors drained five litres of fluid from her stomach. “That was my week of freedom, with not having a big tummy, by the end of the week it was huge again.” She ended up back in hospital, where doctors drained a further seven litres of fluid from her. Following this, Gerritsen was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Stage three is when the cancer is in one or both ovaries and has spread beyond the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen, the bowel or lymph nodes in the abdomen or pelvis. After the diagnosis, she started chemotherapy. She went through three rounds of chemotherapy and a debulking operation, before another three rounds of chemotherapy, after which she thought the cancer was gone. “Nine months later it came back so then we did another five rounds of chemo. It shrunk most of the cancer but still left some.” Following this, she had five more rounds of chemotherapy, HORSEBACK: Wendy Gerritsen is trekking around the South Island on her horse, Anmoch, who she got just before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, to raise awareness for the disease. then a seven-month break, then another five rounds of chemotherapy, the last of which was in November. Gerritsen is back to having three-monthly checks with her oncologist to monitor her cancer. “I’ve still got three tumours in there that they could see, but they are less than half a centimetre.” “You’ve just got to try not to think too much about it and just get on with life.” Gerritsen has been passionate about horses most of her life and started riding when she was eight. She got Anmoch as a young horse just before her diagnosis. Gerritsen said Anmoch has given her something to take her mind off cancer as well as goals to look forward to. By riding Anmoch through towns she is hoping to raise awareness for ovarian cancer, and make her conquest more visible as well. Gerritsen said people need to be aware of the symptoms, even if they don’t seem to be Selwyn Community History Fund B+LNZ Central Canterbury Farming for Profit Field Day ‘Just farming’ – the art and science of soil, crops and livestock Tuesday 27 February, 11am - 4pm George and Emma Masefields property, 480 Goughs Bay Road, Akaroa Come explore George and Emma’s recent farm system transition from a traditionalstore to a finishing operation. Important: Farm tour will be undertaken on motorbikes and side-by-sides. Helmets must be worn and drivers must be competent on hill country. Bring a packed lunch. Topics: • What opportunities have presented within the business? • Overcoming adversity between floods and drought on Banks Peninsula. • Key learnings and messages from family farm succession and recent implementation of Resolution To register: Please visit beeflambnz.com/events and search for this event. WWW.BEEFLAMBNZ.COM 0800 BEEFLAMB (0800 233 352) TE TIRA PŪORO O TE TAUAARANGI BAND Applications for the Selwyn Community History Fund are open! History is an important part of our community’s identity. This fund is designed to support kaitiaki (guardians, conservators, and protectors), communities and community groups and their heritage activities. For more information on the fund or to apply visit selwyn.govt.nz/funding MARLBOROUGH 28 February | ASB Theatre Tickets from asbtheatre.com ASHBURTON 1 March | Ashburton Event Centre Tickets from ateventcentre.co.nz TIMARU 2 March | Mountainview High School Tickets from ateventcentre.co.nz CHRISTCHURCH 3 March | James Hay Theatre Tickets from ticketek.co.nz Booking fees apply
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz around South Island Wednesday February 7 2024 Selwyn Times NEWS 7 Crash survivor ‘lucky’ worrying. “I knew nothing about ovarian cancer until I saw it on Google. “Ovarian cancer does not have any age on it . . . I would like to see everyone of all ages get a yearly health check.” Gerritsen said people need to be open to talking about it, and will be handing out cards with the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer along the route. “People see it as part of a woman’s body, so therefore you don’t talk about it. You don’t talk about the signs of things and what is going on with your body even to friends.” Along the route, Gerritsen will be camping in paddocks, and is still looking for somewhere to stay in Hanmer, Reefton, Haast and Waimate. PLAN CHANGE: The team made it to the Springfield donut on Sunday after postponing due to weather. • Follow Gerritsen’s progress and dates on her Facebook page: Ride 4 Awareness of Ovarian Cancer Symptoms of ovarian cancer • Bloating • Eating less and feeling fuller • Abdominal/pelvic/ back pain • Needing to pee more or urgently • Bowel habit changes • Fatigue • Indigestion • Painful intercourse • Unexplained weight change • Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge To find out more head to: ovariancancerfoundation.org.nz READY TO RIDE: Wendy Gerritsen will mainly be riding solo throughout the South Island, but is joined in her first week by her daughters Alex, 20, and Sarah, 19. A WOMAN had a lucky escape when her car collided with a bus in Prebbleton. The crash happened at the intersection of Robinsons Rd and Birchs Rd around 1pm on Friday. The car hit the front of the Metro Bus, before flipping and landing in a ditch. On the scene was Lincoln Volunteer Fire Brigade senior station officer Ian White, who said the driver WRECKED: A car rolled after colliding with a bus (left). Ian White was very lucky. “It says something about having airbags and other safety features. “She came out of it pretty much unharmed apart from scrapes and bruises.” White said she was able to get herself out of the car with the help of people who stopped. A police spokesperson said investigations into the crash are still ongoing. NOW OPEN Just Cuts Rolleston Fields GO WEST NIK KERSHAW THE MOCKERS THE CHOIRBOYS AUTOMATIC 80’S GET YOUR TICKETS LOCALLY You’ll find us near Te Ara Atea (Rolleston Library) Grand Opening Special Style Cuts TM cut $ 25 * Normally $ 40 at Just Cuts TM 2 MARCH LINCOLN DOMAIN selwynsounds.co.nz PRINCIPAL PARTNER *Grand Opening Special only available at Just Cuts Rolleston Fields until 13/03/24. See in-salon for details. Exclusive stockist of
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Selwyn_Times: February 07, 2024

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