Goldthorpe is sharing her story ahead of the Dry July campaign \u2013 an annual challenge where participants give up alcohol for a month while raising funds for non-medical services for cancer patients in New Zealand, including the Cancer Rehabilitation Foundation (Pinc and Steel), which has supported Goldthorpe with physiotherapy rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
Last year, 452 people from Tauranga took part in Dry July, raising more than $42,000 to support people affected by cancer.<\/p>\n
According to the Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand, 306 women are diagnosed and 207 women die from ovarian cancer each year.<\/p>\n
Thirty per cent of women died within one year of diagnosis. The five-year survival rate was 42.8%, a February foundation statement said.<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she had \u201cshort, sharp, stabbing pains\u201d in her lower pelvic area in August 2024.<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she saw her doctor, who did a stomach exam and did not think there were any problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided to do an ultrasound but … he didn\u2019t put any priority on it, which is why I didn\u2019t get it until December.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she had \u201ca bit of a sinking gut feeling\u201d upon finding out she had cancer just before Christmas in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then I have had a blessed and wonderful life. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have had love and I\u2019m comfortable, and we\u2019re in a perfect stage of our lives, so I figured that somewhere the other shoe was going to drop sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she needed further tests and biopsies before a treatment plan was confirmed in March 2025 due to the type of cancer she had \u2013 a low-grade serous carcinoma.<\/p>\n
Her cancer was \u201cinoperable\u201d due to lesions on her organs. She started chemotherapy in April 2025.<\/p>\n
Tauranga woman Tracey Goldthorpe had chemotherapy and a major surgery in 2025.<\/p>\n
Chemotherapy shrank the lesions enough to qualify her for an operation, which she had at Auckland City Hospital in June 2025.<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she had a radical hysterectomy to remove her cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Doctors also removed her appendix, rectum and omentum.<\/p>\n
She required 72 staples, from just below her bra line to just above her pubic bone.<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe also had a colostomy bag until November.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow my body\u2019s still learning how to process my food and waste and things in a slightly different way, but I\u2019m up and about and \u2026 everything works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she was doing really well overall. Sometimes she experienced fatigue and got \u201ca little bit fuzzy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWords just completely disappear sometimes, and I have to describe a thing before I can get to what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said her cancer \u201cfed on oestrogen\u201d and she was taking oestrogen blocker medication. Side effects included joint and muscle pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy body\u2019s in pain a lot of the time but I\u2019m alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, she had \u201cno evidence of disease\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tauranga woman Tracey Goldthorpe’s hair began growing back after chemotherapy and a major surgery in 2025.<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she and Shane bought a small yellow caravan and had been going away on weekends.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s mostly done that up, but I sewed the curtains while I was home from chemo, which was quite fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said she enjoyed tending to her vegetable garden, walking, cycling, yoga and reading.<\/p>\n
She was also organising a fundraising event in October for the Cancer Rehabilitation Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer Foundation.<\/p>\n
Goldthorpe said rehabilitation with the Cancer Rehabilitation Foundation (Pinc and Steel) had been a \u201cgame-changer\u201d.<\/p>\n
She did sessions pre- and post-surgery, which included yoga, Pilates, paddleboarding and aerobic step classes.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing dry for a month is a small thing when you consider how much benefit it can give somebody in their challenging times and helping them rediscover themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Dry July statement said funds raised through the initiative supported three charities \u2013 Look Good Feel Better, Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand and Cancer Rehabilitation Foundation (Pinc and Steel).<\/p>\n
The charities delivered programmes and services nationally for people affected by cancer. This included rehabilitation to rebuild strength after treatment, exercise and recovery classes, counselling services and wellbeing support that helped people regain confidence and independence.<\/p>\n
People can register for this year\u2019s challenge on the Dry July website.<\/p>\n
Common ovarian cancer symptoms <\/p>\n
BloatingEating less and feeling more fullAbdominal, pelvic or back painNeeding to pee more or urgentlyChanges in bowel habitsFatigue<\/p>\n
Indigestion, abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, unexplained weight changes and painful sex are also possible symptoms.<\/p>\n
Source: Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand<\/p>\n