Episode Transcript
[00:00:15] Speaker A: Welcome to Talkin Toowoomba the podcast sharing real stories that matter.
We're proud to partner with Hope Horizons, shining a light on the journeys of locals impacted by cancer and the incredible people who walk beside them and every step of the way.
Today's episode is brought to you by Men's Health Physiotherapy Toowoomba helping men across our region take charge of their health and well being.
Whether it's recovery after prostate surgery, pelvic floor rehabilitation, or building strength and confidence again, their experienced team is there to support you every step of the way.
A quick note before we dive in.
The content of the Talk on Toowoomba Podcast is provided for general information and community interest only.
It shouldn't be taken as professional, medical, financial or legal advice and must not be relied upon as such.
Please seek independent, qualified advice relevant to your own circumstances before making any decisions.
Now, let's get into today's conversation.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: I'd like to welcome Lorraine.
Thank you for talking with us here on the podcast. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Hope Horizons?
[00:01:37] Speaker C: Well, my name is Lorraine and I was born in Toowoomba 77 years ago.
Born into a farming family, so I've stayed in the rural area for quite some time.
I joined Hope Horizons as a volunteer four years ago and I've been very grateful for the comradeship and the mateship that I've been able to receive and contribute to the well being of others in our community.
[00:02:13] Speaker B: Okay, so you volunteer at Hope on the Hangar, is that right?
[00:02:17] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Can you tell us what a typical day looks like for you when you're volunteering at Hope on a Hangar?
[00:02:23] Speaker C: I volunteer at Hope on a Hangar at Jacaranda Manor which is out at Highfields and I drive from Middle Ridge every Wednesday to work in the shop.
We have a high end thrift clothing shop plus lots of other trinkets and jewellery and I really enjoy it.
[00:02:48] Speaker B: So what do you enjoy most about doing the volunteering there?
[00:02:54] Speaker C: It's just really exciting to see the beautiful donations that lovely, helpful people in the community deliver to us.
I've always liked fashion, so I'm in my element there.
We have a lot of fun. I have volunteers that I work with and also that come and visit because we're like good mates now.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: Okay, so how do you see your role contributing to the bigger picture for Hope Horizons?
[00:03:28] Speaker C: Well, in our role, the finance that we receive goes to Hope Horizons to help finance the professional allied services that Hope Horizons provide to help wonderful people through Their cancer journey.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: So you chose Hope Horizons. What was your first impression of the centre and the culture when you joined?
[00:03:58] Speaker C: Well, my first connection with the centre was at Drayton, where they originally started the wellness centre.
And I was a client of them and I felt it very warm and welcoming and with the professional people I had contact with were very helpful in helping me with different effects I'd had from cancer.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: Okay, so there's obviously a bit of a personal story that we'll come to that shortly.
What makes you stay? What keeps you coming back week after week?
[00:04:36] Speaker C: I think it's knowing I'm giving back and a very good cause. Coming back to the centre, to our shop, is very rewarding because we get to meet our people in the community who also walk in with their troubles and sometimes they need uplifting.
[00:05:03] Speaker B: Okay, now we're gonna go down a path that perhaps is a little difficult for you, and we'll do it together. Okay.
You've got your own personal story with cancer, both for yourself and, I believe, also your husband.
So let's talk about your story first with cancer. Can you tell me what you went through?
[00:05:33] Speaker C: Okay. In 2012, my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
And we continued on for another 10 years before that became aggressive.
And then in 2014, I have four great, beautiful, handsome sons.
In 2014, we lost our eldest son suddenly with a heart attack.
Later on, not in a very short time, in 2016, I lost my mother. And I had been her carer for a very long time.
And then in that same year, we decided that we needed a holiday.
And it was on that holiday in the beautiful red centre of Australia, that one night, I noticed I had a lump in my breasts.
It come as a huge surprise, of course.
So when we come back to Toowoomba, I had two biopsies and it was discovered that I would have to have a lumpectomy.
And so that was a big wake up call.
And by Christmas in The same year, 2016, I'd had an operation one week before Christmas.
[00:07:12] Speaker B: That's fine, take your time. That's fine, take your time.
[00:07:15] Speaker C: So, yes, it was a big wake up call.
Cancer is the sneaky beast.
[00:07:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:22] Speaker C: Yep. You never know. It never comes, never at a convenient time.
But, however, this was my diagnosis and I needed to move on.
I had the operation.
Fortunately for me, there was no cancer in my lymph nodes.
However, they took some lymph nodes. As a precaution, I chose a different path to the conventional chemo radiation treatment.
I stress here this was my decision and my decision Only had the cancer become more aggressive into my body, I would have made a different choice.
I did a lot of research on the type of cancer.
I looked at statistics and what the numbers looked like with and without treatment over the five to ten year period.
My age then was 69, so I think this was a big factor in my decision.
I continued on with my life and I was hell bent on filling up what years I knew I did have on travel, creating a better lifestyle and the power of maintaining a positive outlook.
I read a lot on this topic.
I carried on with a healthy lifestyle, power of exercise and I didn't want to suffer from the plums, which means poor little old me syndrome.
I just want to get on.
I knew there were many others who had bigger stairs than me to climb, but this is my story and I'm here nine years on.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: I want to thank you for sharing. I'm sitting opposite you. I have the added advantage I can physically see you and I appreciate you sharing your story. Now. Okay, it's. It wasn't easy your process and what you had to go through. How did Hope Horizons support you during that time?
[00:09:45] Speaker C: I attended the clinic and I was able to receive the beautiful support of the allied professional people both my husband and I attended.
And I received lymphatic drainage because the lymph nodes annoyed me. Removal of those annoyed me some and my husband received massage and just both receiving that lovely warm support as we walked in.
[00:10:19] Speaker B: How has your personal experience shaped the way you see your volunteering role?
[00:10:28] Speaker C: I needed to give back after receiving all that help.
I wanted to give back and when my husband passed away, I needed to fill my life with something special to do and something special that I could help with the loneliness and also meet new friends.
And I have been wonderfully embraced by the people I volunteer with.
[00:11:06] Speaker B: So from your perspective, the support you get here at Hope Horizons is really good. How do you think it's different from other places?
[00:11:15] Speaker C: I think we have many people there in our volunteer group have gone through cancer and come out the other side.
We also have people there who have lost loved ones.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: I can relate to what you're thinking and feeling from your husband's side because I've got prostate cancer.
When I was first diagnosed back in late 21, I had surgery in October 22nd and everything's been going really well until October last year. October seems to be a bad month and it looks like it's coming back.
I've had a PET scan. I don't know where it exactly is yet. My PSA levels are obviously elevated, so we're just waiting a little bit to see where it's going to pop its head up. And I'm looking at obviously having radium treatment as an absolute minimum and perhaps others.
[00:12:20] Speaker A: So I,
[00:12:22] Speaker B: I do feel for you and I understand that this sometimes is a bit hard for you to articulate, but if you can, it'll be very powerful and very helpful to others that are listening.
[00:12:39] Speaker C: Yeah. Yes. Well, my husband was diagnosed in 2012 and had his prostate removed.
It hadn't spread to any other parts of his body, so he chose not to go with radium and chemo.
And we spent the next years having a really good time.
But During COVID in 2020, 2019, he broke a rib getting the washing off the line.
[00:13:16] Speaker B: Good to see you didn't let him off the hook of doing house chores. That's good to hear.
[00:13:19] Speaker C: Yeah. And then it went on from there that the cancer had attacked his bones.
So we went through chemo treatment and that was 2020 and he passed away and almost three years ago.
So that was their story.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: Thank you for sharing that. You've had a bit of a double whammy.
[00:13:44] Speaker A: You've.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: You've had your husband, your life partner, my son, your son and yourself.
And yes, you're still sitting here talking to me and you enlightening other people with your story wouldn't have been easy to go through.
And you've received a fair amount of support through Hope Horizons. Now you're volunteering, as you said, you're giving back, and that's very admirable. But what else does it mean apart from giving back to you personally to be a volunteer and helping Hope Horizons?
[00:14:30] Speaker C: Well, Shane, it makes me feel good in myself because I feel like I'm helping someone else, whether it's helping in the shop by bringing in finance or whether it's just being there when someone's having a down day.
Can I share a story with you, please? And this is a highlight of my day in the shop.
A young gentleman come in and I could tell that he was having a tough day.
He walked in and went up to our bookcase and I wandered up and I could see he'd pulled out one of the many books that I donated out of my self Help and Positive Affirmations collection.
And we got talking and talked about how hard sometimes it is to stay on top and what we need to do to keep ourselves positive during the day and had a great old chat.
And when he went out, come up to the counter and he said to Me, I was meant to come here today.
And I could tell that it was a tough one that day for him.
And that just warmed me up to, I'm coming back to this place because I've helped someone today.
[00:16:17] Speaker B: And I think that's what it's all about. Everybody, even there's no such thing as the perfect situation for any person. But let's assume that there is a perfect situation where, you know, they don't have any major dramas or major health issues in their life, but anybody can have a down day.
But when people like you who have gone through a bit and, as you said, have come out the other side and keep going, it's great when you can help someone like that because you know how tough it can really be with what you went through with your sons, your husband and yourself.
So to be able to give back is an incredible gift that you're giving back. And I, like many who are going to be listening to this, thank you for doing that.
Sometimes I wonder when I think about things myself, how do I keep going?
And I somehow managed to keep going.
Is there anything you've thought about over these last few years that you said to yourself or that you did that was helpful for you to not go?
I love. I forgot what you said earlier, but I loved it. The woe is me.
Oh, poor little old me.
[00:18:05] Speaker C: Yeah, poor little old me.
[00:18:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I loved that.
Is there something that you used to say to yourself or was there something that you did that just uplifted you and got you on the right track?
[00:18:21] Speaker C: I think I always thought there was so many other people that were suffering just like me and perhaps more.
But when I told that to my friends, they said, but it's your grief, your worry.
But I think just getting up every day and making that effort to say, this is my day today and I'm going to make the best of today.
Tomorrow hasn't come yet and the past is gone.
This is my day.
[00:19:04] Speaker B: I love that.
That's. I love that. Yeah.
Yesterday's gone.
Tomorrow hasn't come yet.
So today's the day.
[00:19:16] Speaker C: It's a gift.
[00:19:17] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a gift. It is, Yep.
We've had a bit of an emotional chat and I know we've both struggled a bit. I'm trying to think what to ask you next. And I suppose I'm going to go back to the volunteering. What would you say to someone who's thinking about volunteering or supporting Hope Horizons in some way as someone who's been on the side of getting help from Hope Horizons to now flipping it and you're giving help back to Hope Horizons. What would you say to someone who's thinking about volunteering but maybe a little unsure, not quite don't know whether I should or I shouldn't. What would you say to them?
[00:20:09] Speaker C: I'd say, come and do it.
Come and try it.
We're always open to have more volunteers.
Just come and try it for a day and see if it's your style.
And I guarantee that you will get so much more out of it, just as much as what you will give to the organisation.
[00:20:36] Speaker B: What do you hope to see for the future of the centre and its impact on the community?
[00:20:42] Speaker C: Look, Shane, I'm in awe of the support from individuals, organisations and businesses, what they contribute financially and with effort to continue to keep the centre going.
I just want to be part of that and continue to be part of that.
It's just amazing to see how this centre can support the wellness journey. I rather say that than cancer journey because I think it's more a wellness journey that the centre provides here.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
And I say that from the bottom of my heart because sitting across from here, not only have I heard you, I felt what you've been saying.
So thank you.
I'm sure this episode is going to be helpful for a lot of people.
Thanks for your time.
[00:22:01] Speaker C: Thank you. Shane,
[00:22:11] Speaker A: Thanks for joining us on Talking Toowoomba. If today's episode inspired you, please share it to help spread hope and connection right across our community.
A special thanks to our sponsor, Men's Health Physiotherapy Toowoomba, for supporting this episode and the important work of Men's Health in our region.
And as always, a big thank you to Hope Horizons for their incredible contribution to local families living with cancer.
The content of Talking Toowoomba podcast is provided for general information and community interest only.
It should not be taken as professional, medical, financial or legal advice and must not be relied upon as such.
Please seek qualified advice relevant to your own circumstances before making any decisions.
Until next time, keep talking Toowoomba.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: Ra.
