The simplicity of lying in her own bed, next to her husband after a day of chemotherapy has steeled Jane Charuba for her fight against ovarian cancer.
On Thursday 7 April, Jane became the first person in Hughenden to receive chemotherapy via tele-health.
Once a week for the next four months, Jane will make the five minute, three-kilometre drive from her home, across the Flinders River to Hughenden Hospital for treatment.
She said when she was offered the opportunity to get her treatment done locally her “hand shot up like a school kid”.
“I had to go to Townsville for my first dose, which is a really big heavy dose of chemotherapy,” she said.
“It is a four hour drive, a huge day of treatment which leaves you feeling awful and depending on how you pull up you either need a night or two before you are feeling up to making the drive home.
“I can’t tell you how big a relief it was to get my treatment in Hughenden knowing that I could go straight home to my husband and my own bed.”
In the past two years, Jane has lost both her mother and sister to cancer and on 25 January – the day of her 61st birthday – she was diagnosed with Stage 1A ovarian cancer.
A scheduled pap smear and a hunch from her doctor lead to testing and Jane underwent surgery at The Townsville Hospital on February 8 to have the cancer removed.
“I’d been training to compete at the Masters Swimming Australia National Championships in April so I was feeling quite fit and toned,” she said.
“During my two-yearly check-up I was asked if I had put on any unexplained weight and given how much work I’d be doing in the pool I mentioned to the doctor that I had put on an inch around the stomach.
“It has all happened really fast and with my family history it has been pretty stressful which is why being able to get looked after in my own community has made such a big difference.”
Townsville Hospital and Health Service Director of Medical Oncology Professor Sabe Sabesan said tele-chemotherapy could be delivered from Hughenden Hospital simply, safely and sustainably.
Dr Sabesan said rural generalist nurses received training to administer chemotherapy and were overseen by specialist nurses via video link from The Townsville Hospital.
“We don’t take any shortcuts with tele-health. What we are now offering in Hughenden is a safe model of care that benefits both staff and patients,” he said.
“Modern technology has made it feasible for us to deliver this fairly significant service to a remote western community with a population of a tick over 1000 people which is a significant achievement.”
Director of Nursing at Hughenden Hospital Ben Lawrence said staff took a lot of pride in looking after their local community.
“There was a bit of a buzz around the place when Jane came in for her first appointment,” he said.
“We work in a small community and it was really gratifying to be able to offer one of our locals a service that we’d never been able to provide before.
“It is also great for our staff to have this connection with a specialist service at The Townsville Hospital and while Jane is the first I have every confidence she won’t be the last to benefit from this service.”
Jane said once her treatment is complete she can’t wait to get back in the pool and is targeting a berth at the World Masters Swimming Championships in New Zealand early next year.
Townsville Hospital and Health Services provides services through 18 hospitals, two residential aged care facilities and community health services from Richmond to Townville, Ayr to Cardwell and is controlled by a locally based Board.
