Evie McLeod says the letter she has received from Te Whatu Ora indicates her breast reconstruction surgery is not considered important. Photo: Supplied / Evie McLeod
A Nelson cancer survivor has resorted to crowd-funding tens of thousands of dollars for a breast reconstruction after her referral for a specialist public hospital appointment was declined.
Mother-of-two Evie McLeod said she was heartbroken to have been rejected after fighting for her life over a traumatic six months of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiation therapy.
The 38-year-old was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in September 2020.
Evie McLeod has had some tough times recovering from her breast cancer diagnosis. Photo: Supplied / Evie McLeod
She wanted to have the reconstruction done at the same time as her mastectomy but the radiation meant she had to wait two years following treatment before seeking a referral for surgery in Wellington.
McLeod said her surgeon sent the referral to Te Whatu Ora - Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley last month but she had since received a letter saying it could not offer her an appointment because her case was not considered urgent.
"They have given me a very, very vague letter that tells me my case is not urgent, that it's not important, when I basically fought for my life. It's heartbreaking," she said.
"I feel really, really let down and devastated that our health system has become like this."
McLeod said she was earlier assured she would be able to have a breast reconstruction but without a specialist appointment felt she had no option but to try to have the operation done privately.
A friend has set up a Givealittle page in the hope she can raise $35,000 for the surgery and associated costs.
McLeod said she understood the Covid-19 pandemic and staff shortages had resulted in lengthy surgical waiting lists but was astonished she could not get an appointment in order to go on a waiting list and that no-one had given her a detailed explanation.
Repeated calls and messages left on a phone number listed at the bottom of the letter had gone unanswered, she said.
McLeod, whose children are aged nine and 18, said the removal of her left breast had taken a heavy psychological toll and affected her sleep, and she disliked wearing a breast prosthesis in a special bra.
"I'm a young woman and I've had terrible intimacy issues ever since. I just don't feel complete. I haven't felt the same about myself since. Even just looking in the mirror is a no-go," she said.
"I feel insecure, incomplete and lost without my breast. I'm only 38 and I just want to look and feel normal again. It's so uncomfortable and lop-sided only having one breast and it limits so many daily activities."
Evie McLeod says it's uncomfortable and restricting to have only one breast. Photo: Supplied / Evie McLeod
In the letter to McLeod, a hospital spokeswoman said appointments were only booked for the most urgent cases.
"Public hospitals have limited resources including funding. Currently we receive more requests for specialist appointments than we are able to provide. Therefore, we have had to limit referrals to those that are most urgent," the letter said.
"A specialist has reviewed your referral and based on the information in your referral we are unable to offer you an appointment.
"While we understand that this is not the outcome that you were expecting and may cause you some distress, we also believe it is important to be honest with the community about the services we can and cannot provide.
"We suggest you discuss with your referrer what other options are available to you. If your condition gets worse, please see them for reassessment."
McLeod said regular mammograms showed the cancer had not returned and she was looking forward to being officially in remission and eventually, a breast reconstruction.
Surgeons have said a postcode lottery still exists in the health system, with no national criteria yet for who gets surgery and how quickly despite the creation of Te Whatu Ora.
In January, figures from Te Whatu Ora showed 30,000 people were waiting longer than the four-month target for their planned surgery at the end of October last year.
