Anne’s relationship with Jean Hailes began when her GP referred her to the Clayton clinic to see if doctors there could establish the cause of her vitamin D resistance. A routine blood test had revealed low levels of the vitamin and follow-up treatment suggested the resistance.
That referral a decade ago probably saved her life.
The clinicians at Jean Hailes tested and ruled out causes. “If the doctors had not been as persistent as they were at Jean Hailes, I would have been in a lot of trouble,” says Anne.
A colonoscopy revealed two polyps that were shown to be malignant following a biopsy. Anne was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.
“Everything happened so quickly,” she recalls. “I got the call at work and was told to present to the hospital for surgery later that afternoon.
“I know I am a lucky woman and I have to thank the doctors at Jean Hailes for my life. Had they not persisted, it would have been too late by the time I showed symptoms of the disease.”
Anne, 73, para-legal, Perth, WA.
