When Luke Moffitt was having ongoing issues with constipation, he put it down to stress.
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He and wife Alyssa were getting ready to welcome their third child when they were forced to find a new rental - which is a difficult task in today’s climate - and move.
And since baby Hadley was born nine weeks ago, she’s had to have surgery to remove a cyst from her bladder and then contracted parainfluenza requiring treatment in Shepparton.
Common constipation treatments were working for Luke, but only temporarily.
On November 5 the pain was almost unbearable, but he worked through as best he could.
But come 2am on November 6, he was in so much pain Alyssa insisted they go to the Deniliquin Hospital emergency department.
It turned out to be a decision that lead to life-saving surgery.
What was originally thought to be a bowel obstruction turned out to be a tumour in Luke’s small intestine.
And it may have only been days away from bursting.
Luke has since been diagnosed with rectal cancer, and will learn more about what his future holds in a follow up oncologist appointment.
“On that day (November 5), Luke was buckling over in pain and had a feeling of trapped wind, but he still went to work.
“He got home and, like a typical male, said he was okay and there was no need to go to the hospital.
“But at about 2am he started vomiting, and by 6am I had convinced him we needed to go to the hospital.
“It was about 9am when a nurse practitioner walked in and saw him, and knew from looking at him something wasn’t right.
“He and another nurse practitioner checked him out and realised he had no bowel sounds at all.
“They thought it was either going to be an obstruction or colitis.
“They took him in for an x-ray and then immediately a CT because of what they could see on the x-ray.
“Within an hour, he was in an ambulance and on his way to Albury.”
Alyssa said she had to stay behind in Deniliquin to arrange to take their children to Luke’s father Ian and his step-mother Robyn in Echuca.
She then made her own way to Albury with baby Hadley and arranged accommodation at the Hilltop Cancer Accommodation Centre, the cost of which was covered by Deniliquin Can Assist.
Luke was prepared for surgery soon upon arrival in Albury, which took place between 6pm the day they arrived and 1am the following morning.
“He had a sub-partial colectomy (bowel resection) and they had to remove part of his rectum.
“There was a tumour growing in his bowel.
“We were told it can stretch to 10cm before it pops, and it was at 9.5cm with the tumour plus the faecal matter that was unable to pass it.
“If we hadn’t gone to hospital when we did, it might have burst.
“We are so thankful to the Deniliquin Hospital that they got on to it as quickly as they did.
“Luke was cut from the sternum to the pubic bone, and now has to have an ileostomy (bag to the small intestine) for at least six months.”
In the post-surgery discussions with an oncologist, Luke learned he had stage three rectal cancer and that three of 18 lymph nodes were positive to cancer so far.
It signalled that there is still a long road ahead.
“They have already put in a port for chemo, and we were told he’ll need treatment every two weeks for a least six months before we know more.
“We’ll go to Albury to have everything connected, which then takes two days to be completed.
“Because Deniliquin no longer has a chemo nurse, we have to decide whether we come back to Deni and then return to Albury two days later or stay in Albury for the duration of the treatment.
“The first round of chemo is intended to shrink the cancer, after which Luke will have more surgery to remove it and then another round of chemo to hopefully get the last of it.”
A Go Fund Me page has been set up for the Moffitts by close friends Danica and Chris Reeves, to assist them as they continue to tackle the challenges.
And Alyssa said it’s only one example of kindness they have been shown in the past few weeks.
“Chris and Danica have been just amazing,” Alyssa said.
“That first Saturday after we went to Albury, Chris had someone cover his work so they could bring our kids over to us.
“We only got back home to Deniliquin this week, and it’s the longest we have ever been away from the kids.
“Our friends Hannah and Naomi Rumsey also had the kids for us, so they could be in Deniliquin and continue going to school.
“I had the baby with me because she is breast feeding, but Allan is seven and in Year 1 and Dylan is four and goes to daycare.
“Everyone has been really supportive really.
“It (the Go Fund Me page) is going to be a help. We don’t like to ask for help, but it has been just amazing.
“I am still on maternity leave from one job, and can’t go back to my second until I have knee surgery - which is now on the back burner while Luke’s health is a priority.
“Luke can’t work for six to eight weeks while he recovers from surgery. He can return to work after that, but we’re still not sure what the impact of his treatment will be.
“But his boss, Kevin De Kryger at Deni Car Care, has been great through it all.”
Alyssa said they were also surprised to return to Deni this week and find some of the cleaning and unpacking not yet completed since their move had been done for them.
“We were still in the process of unpacking, and while we were away for 12 days my dad Dean Parr and his partner Donna Taylor, my sisters Beth Parr and Chloe Blenkiron and Chloe’s partner Will Hanson had been there.”
Alyssa said Deniliquin Can Assist has also been an immense help already.
“I had booked in with Hilltop for that first night, and they spoke with Bianca Armytage from Can Assist and she arranged payment for the first night.
“She then called me, and Can Assist offered to pay for my entire stay over there.
“They didn’t even know us and we didn’t have Luke’s pathology results back, but they helped.
“We can’t thank them enough.”
While the Moffitts initially hesitated in sharing their story, they said if their experience can help save the lives of others it would be worth it.
They encourage anyone with concerns about their health to reach out to medical professionals, regardless of the severity.
Alyysa said it’s also a reminder that while bowel cancer treatments are aimed at older Australians, it does not mean you’re not at risk.
“Luke is only 40, and you have to be 45 before you can request a at home bowel cancer testing kit,” Alyssa said.
“They are not automatically sent out to you until you’re 50.
“And now our three children will have to have regular colonoscopies to try and prevent going through the same thing, or at least catching it earlier.”
• To support the Moffitt family, go to www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-the-moffitt-family.
• For more information on bowel cancer symptoms and screening, go to www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/types-of-cancer/bowel-cancer.
• For more information about Can Assist and how it can help you, go to https://canassist.org.au/. You can organise a fundraising event by going to https://canassist.org.au/get-involved/fundraise/#authority, or donate via direct deposit to Can Assist Deniliquin - BSB: 633 000, Account: 235432.
Senior journalist