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AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson reveals devastating moment she begged nurses to 'turn off the machines' keeping her alive during battle with stage four cancer
AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson has revealed the heartbreaking mental toll of her terminal cancer diagnosis, bravely sharing that she once "asked nurses to turn off the machines" keeping her alive.
The 29-year-old former maths teacher and wife of Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson was first diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer in 2021, just three months after welcoming their daughter Sophia.
In late 2022, Kellie's diagnosis became terminal when the cancer spread to her lungs.
She reflects on her journey in her new memoir, There Must Be More: Finding Purpose in the Face of the Unimaginable.
Speaking to Woman's Day on Monday, Kellie discussed the darkest moment detailed in the book, a time she admits she "didn't want to wake up".
"I talk about the days I didn't want to wake up and a time I asked nurses to turn off the machines," she said.
"There are emotions there Jeremy didn't even know I had."
Finlayson said publishing the book, released on April 29, was daunting but ultimately rewarding.
"It was a very naked feeling when it was released but it's also the best thing I've ever done. People can understand where I've been."
The Adelaide-based mum has also taken to social media to discuss her work with Speak & Share, a mental health organisation promoting open conversations and emotional wellbeing.
"I very quickly realised it's not just your body you have to fight for, but your mind too," she said in a video for the charity, shared on Friday.
'In the first few months (after diagnosis), I learnt to check in. Not just on my health, but most importantly on myself."
Since her diagnosis, Kellie has become a passionate advocate for bowel cancer awareness, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and a growing concern for young people.
According to Cancer Council Australia, over 15,500 new cases of bowel cancer were diagnosed last year, with nearly ten new cases daily now occurring in Australians aged 50 and under.
"Bowel cancer can be an uncomfortable and morbid topic of conversation, but they're conversations we need to be having," Kellie, who co-hosts the Sh!t Talkers podcast and serves as an ambassador for the Jodi Lee Foundation, told Body+Soul in April.
"I didn't know that 15,500 people are diagnosed every year in Australia, until I became one of those people.
"Cancer doesn't discriminate- it doesn't matter if you're young, old, rich, poor, fit or not," she said.
Just weeks before her book launch, she underwent Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) to remove metastatic tissue from her right lung.
"Just over a week ago I was having a VATS wedge resection on my right lung to remove Mets and send off tissue to pathology in hope for more answers/better treatment plans," she wrote on Instagram.
"I've had soooo many people checking in to see how I'm doing, thankyou!!! and honestly, I'm so fine.
"Which I know is incredible given the major surgery I've just undergone, and I know not everyone is as lucky."
She added: "But hey, I'll take the wins when I can get them in this never ending experience."
