More Than A Hospital:

Helping Simone Through

Bowel Cancer

Simone was only 39 years old when bowel cancer changed her life abruptly. Simone was also the first patient to have major surgery at Lifehouse.

She went through rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and her entire large bowel was removed. She also had a full hysterectomy to prevent any recurrence of the cancer. This was incredibly devastating because Simone had miscarried just shortly before her diagnosis.

Then began Simone’s recovery. Watch her story to find out how the patient-centred approach at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse helped her heal.

Getting Better From Bowel Cancer

Even in her moments of despair, Simone found strength to get through it. She had a great support network of friends and family and she found the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse approach to cancer treatment an important factor in her recovery:

“I think the main thing is the whole philosophy of Lifehouse… you’re going in there to get well, and you don’t feel like you’re in hospital. It gives you a mental edge. It’s a special little bubble to help you with your recovery and to heal better.”

At Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, we approach cancer care and treatment in a way that puts the patient at the centre of everything we do. We offer everything a cancer patient needs – from advanced onco-surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, to complementary therapies and psychosocial support. We are the NSW state centre for clinical trials research in oncology, meaning many of our doctors are also researchers who can bring the breakthroughs found in clinical trials back into patient care.

Being able to offer these services under one roof is of huge benefit for patients and their recovery. They don’t have to spend time, money and energy getting around to different appointments and they know that their treatment team is taking a holistic and patient centred approach to their recovery.

Learn more about the model of care.