General surgeon Kat Goodall
General surgeon Kat Goodall is a familiar face at the Princess Alexandra and QEII hospitals, helping patients navigate their road back to health – one she knows herself having overcome Stage 3 bowel cancer in recent years while finishing her medical training.
She remembers back to early 2018 and can hardly fathom how much her life was about to change, as she was undertaking her surgical training at PAH when she noticed a change in her bowel habits and some bleeding.
As a doctor, Kat knew she had to act fast, so she booked a colonoscopy straight away which confirmed her diagnosis.
By 27 April, Kat was scheduled for a low anterior resection surgery, which successfully removed the cancer from her bowel before she was to embark on six months of chemotherapy.
“Fortunately, the cancer was not metastatic, but it was in my lymph nodes, so I did need to have chemotherapy,” she said.
“The chemotherapy was brutal. It left me with neuropathy and hand foot syndrome, which as a surgeon is really concerning, as I need my hands functioning.
"My own stubbornness kept me going which I think is a typical surgeon mentality - I pushed myself way too hard, and seriously underestimated how exhausted chemotherapy would make me feel.”
Through it all, Kat’s PAH team rallied behind her, going the extra mile to tailor her a part-time role and ensuring her shifts were covered during treatment. The team’s unrelenting support allowed Kat to complete her treatment without giving up her career, and in time, she also passed her Fellowship exams.
“This was an amazing thing they did to support me, and the consultants I worked under always had my back.”
Today, Kat advocates for early bowel cancer screening while working across our hospitals.