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Alice's Journey

Flair met with renowned Television and Radio personality, Alice Worsley to speak about her new life journey, following her battle with breast cancer. A fighter with a sense of humour, Alice has rebuilt her life and wants to help other people get through cancer with her own experience.
 
Alice Worsley is a much loved New Zealand television and radio presenter with a fantastic career spanning over 25 years in which she has interviewed some of our brightest stars, and been an integral part of our broadcasting history. A bubbly, warm and entertaining lady with a very public career, you could never tell that very recently she has fought breast cancer and lived to tell the tale. Through the trials of recent years, her main goal has become to pass on her knowledge of her experience to others.

Starting her career as a school teacher, Alice decided to get into broadcasting after her OE. Her stomping ground over the years has included 1ZB, Radio i, i 98fm, and most recently Big FM and in terms of her television work she has presented on ‘Good Morning’, was headlining her own show on Prime TV and now has a show on Triangle TV. But one August day in 2008 took this broadcasting bright star and thrust her into a fight for her life.

Alice’s mother had breast cancer when she was 61, so Alice was always active about breast care and prevention, getting mammograms annually. Everything appeared clear up until August 2008 where she felt there was something not quite right with her left breast, and sure enough she found a walnut sized lump.  Shaken, she headed straight to her breast clinic the next morning for an ultrasound, something she attributes to saving her life.

Her specialists could tell instantly that the lump was in fact a tumour, and even more frighteningly, it wasn’t benign. Arrangements were made swiftly for treatment and wanting to be rid of the tumour, she elected to have a full mastectomy on her left breast. She explained that it seemed the right thing to do for her situation, but a huge emotional and mental rollercoaster ensued nonetheless.

Following her mastectomy, Alice decided against reconstructive surgery and now uses a prosthesis worn within her bra. She showed me how the area has caved in slightly and how the prosthesis sits on top, but in looking at her you would never guess. “It is a strange sensation and you do feel lopsided as your body changes shape but the reason I decided against reconstructive surgery was because I didn’t want to put myself through another surgical procedure. But it’s a personal choice and that’s what I wanted to do”.

Because her cancer was caused by a hormone imbalance she is now on Tamoxifen, a drug that regulates the hormones in her body, the side effect being that it has put her through menopause for a second time. This time though, with the onset of hot flushes she was grateful. “Every morning that I take my tablet I give it a kiss before I swallow it, because it has helped save my life”. She describes her diagnosis and recovery period as a rollercoaster. “One moment you feel like you can take on anything the next, you’re completely depressed. Thankfully you get lots of support from your specialist and breast nurse to help you through all the emotions you feel.”
 
The thing that was most surprising for Alice was that her yearly mammogram did not pick up the tumour, which is why she says mammograms have to be in conjunction with observant self-check methods.  “In ten percent of cases, mammograms do not pick up anything wrong that is why is so important to do breast self examination, or get your partner to do it as they will notice changes as well. And if you do find something strange, no matter how small don’t sit on it and put off seeing a doctor, that is the worst thing you can do.

A lot of women go into denial if they find something, either they are too afraid to find out what it could be or they think it will just go away by itself. But while you are putting it off, the tumour could be growing and spreading to different parts of your body making it more aggressive. “

And how did she deal with her cancer and the ongoing treatment? “You just push yourself through these things. There are such bad connotations with getting cancer, you can think your world has turned upside down but everyone is dealt a different card. Yes it does change your life, showing you how fragile we all are but it also shows what really is important. It’s not money or cars, or a huge house; it is your health and having good friends.”

Her other piece of advice she gives is not to jump on the internet and Google your condition.  She says the tendency to misdiagnose yourself or cause undue stress and worry is huge. The main thing she wants to pass on from her experience is to be proactive with your breast care. She advises regular mammograms and self breast checks as the best safeguard for yourself and the women in your life.  “Cancer knocks at every door, it doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, everyone is touched by cancer so that’s why it’s so important to educate people to be active with their health. If you notice anything strange, straight away you have to be brave and get medical attention. Because it is very true, early detection is the best prevention.”

A Life After Cancer

 
Cancer free for a year and a half, Alice has to go for blood tests every three months and have regular checkups to make sure she is in good health. She admits that sometimes she wishes it would all go away and she could be back to her cancer free life, but it has taught her many things.

She is now dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle that steers her away from anything with harmful chemicals. She enthusiastically recommends skincare brand Skinfood for all cancer sufferers and survivors because it is paraben free and natural, as well as a great price so she doesn’t have to break the bank to buy the full range. “I really love Skinfood and you can pick the products up at the supermarket so it’s very convenient and I know I’m not pumping chemicals into my body.”

And with her new lease on life, she has decided to dedicate herself to new career paths. A few years ago she had decided to become a funeral celebrant, using her talent for speaking and relating to people to help people come to come to terms with the death of their loved ones.  “I want to help assist with the best possible send off for their loved ones, the service should be a tribute to them and that’s what I aim for”. A fantastic funeral celebrant, she is also launching her career as a Life Review Facilitator. This is where she helps the elderly in retirement villages remember and write down their past, to relive their favourite life stories and put some joy into their days.

“These new career paths really do satisfy me as a person, something so great to find after radio being my first love”.

To find out more or get in contact with Alice email a.worzel@xtra.co.nz

 

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