Wearing a sparkly frock to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, Wellington City councillor Andrea Compton has revealed her own diagnosis is now in remission.
By Justin Wong for Local Democracy Reporting
Compton made the personal statement during a Wellington City Council committee meeting on Thursday, wearing a sequin dress for Frocktober, which raises funds for ovarian cancer research.
“Women need to advocate for themselves, which is why I’ve done this today,” she told Local Democracy Reporting. “I’ve done this for myself. I’ve done this for other women so that if they’re feeling off, they need to push and don't end up in an emergency department like I did.”
Compton was on holiday with her daughter in January when something didn’t feel right, but not like a normal illness. An ovarian cancer diagnosis came in February after a visit to the emergency department, a GP and a specialist. She had surgery in March to remove a “huge” tumour and then six rounds of chemotherapy that concluded in September.
The diagnosis was just five months after Compton was elected to the Takapū/Northern General War – which “really annoyed” her because it got in the way of things she wanted to achieve for her constituents.
Instead, she worked from home and attended council meetings remotely, even from the chemotherapy bed. There were fears that the cancer was at stage three but it turned out to be stage one. “I really needed a purpose. [The] council has been a purpose, my daughter is a purpose.”
Each year, 306 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer of which 30% die within the first year, according to an Ovarian Cancer Foundation report. The report described the disease as the “least survivable women’s cancer” as treatment options were limited and it was one of the least researched cancers.
The report also said ovarian cancer rarely announces itself clearly and its symptoms of bloating, fatigue or back pain were easily dismissed as “normal female issues”.
At Thursday’s meeting, Compton thanked doctors and nurses, and her friends and family for stepping in for messages, meals, childcare and “countless” trips to chemotherapy.
“To my colleagues, we often sit on different sides of difficult debates, but throughout this journey I’ve been met with kindness, respect and genuine humanity,” she said.
“There are people around this table that I did not know this time last year who checked in on me and treated me with respect – one of you even accompanied me to my wig fitting.”
She now looked forward to the “simple things”: her hair growing back, getting back on the netball court, being present with her daughter and discovering what “the new normal” looks like.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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