{"id":510012,"date":"2026-07-04T22:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T22:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/510012\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T22:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T22:01:16","slug":"nutritionist-gina-urlichs-life-changing-cancer-diagnosis-now-to-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/510012\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutritionist Gina Urlich’s life-changing cancer diagnosis | Now to Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clinical nutritionist Gina Urlich<\/a> has spent her life helping women understand and nourish their bodies. But in late 2023, when her own body began whispering something wasn\u2019t right, the mum of four learned first-hand how vital it is to stop and truly listen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not feeling myself \u2013 I was really exhausted and bloated, and I just knew something wasn\u2019t quite right,\u201d shares Gina, 41, who in her twenties worked as a nurse at a women\u2019s hospital in Australia. <\/p>\n

\u201cI knew from my gynaecologist hospital days that this group of symptoms was somewhat similar to patients with ovarian cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" (Credit: Eva Bradley)<\/p>\n

A life turned upside down<\/p>\n

Come early 2024, she was in the hospital, facing a rare and aggressive diagnosis of stage four signet cell carcinoma, an advanced form of cancer where malignant cells spread to other organs.<\/p>\n

After devoting her life to pursuing optimal health and sharing her expertise online with more than 100,000 followers, it was a devastating blow.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big shift for me going from being a health practitioner to a patient,\u201d admits Gina. \u201cOnce I found out it was a 20cm tumour on my ovary and it was malignant, it did feel incredibly unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four months of testing, procedures and waiting followed, as doctors worked to understand exactly what they were dealing with.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a long process between them finding a mass in my ovary to getting a formal diagnosis. I was in denial for quite a long time, hoping maybe it\u2019s just a cyst on my ovary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, doctors discovered the cancer had originated with a tiny 0.3cm primary tumour in her stomach and had spread to her ovary.<\/p>\n

\"\"Being there for husband Dylan and their kids is Gina\u2019s goal after cancer treatment.<\/p>\n

A life-saving surgery<\/p>\n

On Mother\u2019s Day 2024, Gina woke up in the intensive care unit after a 12-hour surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost most of my stomach, my omentum [the apron-like fold of tissue that hangs down from the stomach over the intestines] and ovaries, and underwent hot chemotherapy through my abdomen while surgeons fought to save my life,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trained for that surgery like it was a marathon. I knew I needed to be as strong and healthy as possible \u2013 and have the mental resilience for three weeks in hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working closely with her medical team, Gina has also used a combination of complementary therapies, including\u00a0time in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a strict wholefood diet, Vedic meditation, acupuncture, weekly intravenous vitamin C and natural supplements.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly on, I had a surgeon say to me, \u2018Throw everything at this,\u2019 and so I have. It\u2019s definitely beneficial having a medical background so I can really advocate for myself,\u201d says Gina, who, after training as a nurse straight out of school went on to clinical nutrition studies.<\/p>\n

Through it all, it\u2019s not her own fear that weighs heaviest, but knowing how her cancer impacts her family, husband Dylan, 41, and their four children aged 19 to five.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest part has been my kids seeing their mum unwell,\u201d shares Gina. \u201cI went through lots of treatment, lots of time in hospital and surgeries, and it really impacted the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" (Credit: Eva Bradley)<\/p>\n

Turning pain into purpose <\/p>\n

While cancer has turned her world upside down, it\u2019s also strengthened her resolve to help others prioritise their health.<\/p>\n

For Gina, that starts as early as a baby\u2019s first foods. When clients would ask her for commercial baby food recommendations, she realised that as a health care practitioner of 20 years standing, she wouldn\u2019t personally recommend any of the locally available options in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

So, using ingredients like bone broth, organ blends and collagen, Gina made it her mission to create a range of wholefood pouches, freeze-dried powders and snacks she\u2019d be happy to feed her own children. The result is the recently launched Odi Organic.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI found that work was a good distraction for me not to be solely focused on being sick. It was nice to have some normality and structure back in my life, and doing something I\u2019m so excited about,\u201d beams Gina.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking to her future, she says, \u201cIt\u2019s a little unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina is in remission and continues to have a circulating tumour cell test every six months and recently learned there is no genetic link to her cancer \u2013 something she describes as a huge relief for her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel well and have a really good mindset,\u201d says Gina, who now values her health more than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we are healthy, we have hundreds of dreams and goals, and when we\u2019re unhealthy, we have just one, to be well. I have huge dreams and goals for the business, but personally and for my family, I just want time to have lots of moments together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow Gina on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

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