An Aussie mum who was ‘the healthiest she’d been in years’ has been delivered the devastating news her cancer is terminal.
It came just weeks after she started experiencing bloating and stomach pain she thought was from eating too much pizza.
Tahnee Driver, a 39-year-old aged care wellness coach and devoted mum-of-two from the Mornington Peninsula was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in June and now faces a lifetime of chemotherapy in a race to spend as much time as she can with her daughters Zahlia, 8, and Harmony, 6.
‘It’s come as such a shock,’ she told FEMAIL.
Once both of her daughters were at school, Tahnee had finally started feeling like she’d got a bit of her life back.
‘I was focusing on me and trying to be the best version of myself being active, playing basketball, walking, weights and doing all the good stuff. I was feeling really good,’ she said.
But what Tahnee thought was the result of her clean eating and new fitness regime was actually a sign something far more sinister was brewing inside her body.
The health scare began in January when Tahnee started experiencing sudden bloating and stomach pain after a few meals.
Tahnee Driver, a 39-year-old aged care wellness coach and devoted mum-of-two from the Mornington Peninsula was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in June. Pictured with her daughters Harmony (left) and Zahlia (right)
She was ‘the healthiest she’d been in years’ but has just been delivered the devastating news her cancer is terminal
She chalked it up to rich foods, thinking it might be too much onion or dairy.
But things took a terrifying turn after a night out at a food market when she became violently ill and couldn’t keep anything down.
‘I was bedridden for three days vomiting, but I honestly thought it was just a bug or food poisoning,’ she said.
However, by day four she was getting rather worried so decided to call an ambulance to her home.
Paramedics agreed that it was likely a stomach bug and told her to carry on resting, but as her vomiting continued for another three days, Tahnee knew something really wasn’t right.
She drove herself to her GP, exhausted, dehydrated and delirious.
‘They called an ambulance for me immediately and took me to the hospital. I honestly thought it was just going to be a 10 minute doctor’s trip to get some Gaviscon or something.’
That night, following a battery of tests and an MRI scan, Tahnee received the news that would change her life forever: a tumour the size of a tennis ball had been found in her abdomen.
After experiencing some irregular bloating over the last five months,things took a terrifying turn after a night out at a food market when she became violently ill and couldn’t keep anything down
She was told she just had a stomach bug, but seven days later Tahnee was still vomitting and bed ridden so she went to the hospital. Tests revealed she had a tumour the size of a tennis ball in her abdomen
Just two days later, she was rushed into surgery.
Doctors had initially hoped the tumour could be removed and Tahnee could begin recovery. But when surgeons opened her up, they were faced with a heartbreaking discovery.
‘My cancer was quite aggressive, and had already spread to my stomach lining, lymph nodes, pelvis, and liver.’
While no one said the word ‘terminal’ at first, it was during a follow-up appointment two weeks later with an oncologist that the full truth hit.
‘They told me that it’s incurable, and chemo is going to treat it, but only for a certain amount of time,’ Tahnee said.
In the room with her was her ex-husband Dave – who she says has been ‘very supportive’ through the entire ordeal – and her loving sister Chloe.
But when surgeons operated, they were faced with a heartbreaking discovery. Tahnee’s cancer was aggressive and had already spread to her stomach lining, lymph nodes, pelvis, and liver
However, telling her young daughters was one of the hardest parts.
She wasn’t sure when, or how, to have the conversation. But one morning, while preparing breakfast, she turned to Zahlia and said, ‘Me and your Dad have something to tell you.’
‘She just looked at me and said “do you have cancer?”‘ Tahnee recalled. ‘I was speechless.’
Zahlia had likely overheard conversations, but her intuition softened the blow.
And, as if by divine timing, a knock at the door interrupted them – a postman delivering a surprise parcel from the cancer charity Mummy’s Wish, full of comforting teddies and books for her girls.
Telling her young daughters was one of the hardest things for Tahnee. Pictured here with them and her ex-partner, Dave
Tahnee is due to start chemotherapy on August 8, and while doctors have made it clear the treatment won’t cure her, it may help slow the cancer and give her more time with her children
‘It was exactly what we needed in that moment,’ Tahnee said. ‘A tiny piece of light in a very dark time.’
Tahnee is due to start chemotherapy on August 8, and while doctors have made it clear the treatment won’t cure her, it may help slow the cancer and give her more time with her children.
She’s hoping to return to light work between her chemo sessions, just ‘to stay sane,’ and has been surrounded by support from her mum, sister and her tribe of close friends, who’ve organised a dinner plan to help take the pressure off.
As for ‘bucket-list’ things she wants to tick off, Tahnee has booked in a skydive on September 6 and hopes to meet Aussie rock legend Jimmy Barnes to shake his hand – with her sister Chloe making it happen.
She’s even booked in a skydive on September 6 and hopes to meet Aussie rock legend Jimmy Barnes to shake his hand – with her sister Chloe (pictured right) making it happen
Her one wish now is to raise awareness for other women to take control of their health too and to act when something doesn’t feel right
In October, Tahnee turns 40 and her dream is to take Zahlia and Harmony on a family cruise to New Zealand.
A simple wish, filled with memories she wants to make while she still has the chance.
Despite everything, Tahnee is determined to break the mould and prove the doctors wrong.
In fighting spirit, she’s even made a conscious decision not to Google anything about her condition.
‘This is my story, and this is my fight. Just because someone else hasn’t quite got there, I’m planning to get all the way to the end.’
Her one wish now is to raise awareness for other women to take control of their health too and to act when something doesn’t feel right.
‘I wish that when I was there having my Pap smear (months before), I could have gotten tested for this as well.
‘I dismissed my symptoms. I thought I was just bloated from pizza, but I want my story to help others catch it sooner.’
