A man on holiday with his partner suddenly developed stomach pains and was told he had stage four terminal bowel cancer.
Greg Hollinshed, 45, was in Adelaide with his partner Ally Storr last month when he suffered from what he initially thought was indigestion.
Mr Hollinshed made an appointment when they were at home in Whyalla. After a series of tests, his doctor recommended an ultrasound scan.
When told an appointment would not be available for another two weeks, Mrs Storr tried to convince her partner to go to the hospital.
Three days later he finally agreed. A CT scan showed that his intestines were perforated and he was given antibiotics to combat sepsis.
That night, a surgeon confirmed that the perforation was caused by a tumor and that doctors had also discovered cancerous spots on his liver.
A follow-up CT scan revealed cancerous areas on Mr Hollinshed’s lungs. He was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.
Mrs. Storr’s mother, Marion, has since had a GoFundMe to ease the financial burden, as it is ‘unlikely that Greg will be able to return to work’.
Greg Hollinshed, 45, was on holiday in Adelaide with his partner Ally Storr when he started experiencing stomach pains in June
Mr Hollinshed was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer upon returning home to Whyalla
Mr Hollinshed will require chemotherapy every two weeks from August 7 for the rest of his life.
Mrs Storr said she was still struggling with the dire situation.
‘It was still so raw and there was so much information and big medical terms thrown at us that it was so hard to think about anything else but [I’m] “I’m about to lose my person,” she said told the Advertiser.
‘Our hearts sank, we both cried. You hear stage four and know it’s bad [you] I just can’t help but think the worst, but with the help of chemo he will hopefully be alive for a long time.’
Each chemo session lasts four hours and will followed by two days of therapy at home.
Mr Hollinshed underwent major surgery on July 5 to remove part of his colon.
The operation was only supposed to take three hours, but after six hours Mrs Storr called the hospital and was told that her partner was still in the operating theatre.
‘Half an hour later I called again, in tears. I had been waiting there alone the whole time. “It was the longest, worst day of my life,” she said.
After the operation, doctors explained that the surgery was much more complicated than expected because Mr Hollinshed’s tumour had also attached itself to part of his small intestine. That part had to be removed and then reattached.
Mr Hollinshed has lost 12 kg since his hospital admission.
Mr Hollinshed will begin chemotherapy on August 7 and will require treatment every two weeks for the rest of his life
Ms Storr’s mother Marion launched a GoFundMe to help the family cope after Mr Hollinshed was ‘forced to retire’
Mr Hollinshed returns every three months for scans to check he is responding to the chemotherapy.
Before he was diagnosed, he had worked in the mines for 17 years.
Mrs Storr said the thought of her partner being ‘forced to retire’ was ‘financially terrifying’.
Her partner remains optimistic despite his circumstances, adding that he enjoys spending time with his children, granddaughter and family.