Latest news with #AliceSpringsHospital
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Super-fit mum, 39, dying from bowel cancer shares the common symptom she wishes she hadn't ignored
When Krystal Maeyke began experiencing sharp stabbing pains in her stomach, she shrugged them off as a food allergy. For three months she tried to ignore the increasingly uncomfortable sensations in her lower abdomen, gritting her teeth as they grew in intensity from a light pinch to so severe she was brought to her knees in agony. The mother-of-one, then aged just 37, was blissfully unaware that she was living with late stage bowel cancer, and the pains which were plaguing her life was her body struggling to function under a growing network of deadly tumours. She explained: 'At first I thought I would get checked for food intolerances. As I was fit and healthy, exercising daily and eating a wholesome balanced diet. 'Tests came back negative to gluten intolerance. But the pain continued. Some days I would be in agony and have to keep a heat pack on it.' But eventually she reached her ultimate pain threshold, and on May 30 2023 she was airlifted from her remote home in the Australian desert town of Yulara, in the Northern Territory, to the nearest hospital 280miles (450km) away. Mid-air, she was given morphine—'which did nothing'—before nurses administered potent painkiller Fentanyl which 'began to calm the severe pain'. At Alice Springs Hospital she was given a series of tests before being given the devastating news that she had cancer. She said: 'I underwent a series of tests. That's when I knew it was something serious. I was woken up later that night by a doctor whose words I will never forget '"Krystal, I've got bad news…. You have cancer." 'The weight of those words, accompanied by my question of "How do you know?" and the doctor's response, "It's everywhere," shook me to my core.' Ms Maeyke was told that she has stage four terminal metastatic bowel cancer, which means that the initial cancer from her bowel had spread to other organs. And she's convinced that the shooting pains she felt was the cancer taking over her body. She said: 'I thought it wasn't anything sinister. That's is why it became advanced cancer and spread all through my abdomen, liver, ovaries and starting from my bowel. 'I felt each stabbing pain, when it was spreading in my bowel with a tumour almost blocking my bowels. 'I felt the lump appear and was told it may just be a lymph node. That was the tumour I was feeling. @stoneinthe0cean Another sign of CANCER is unexplained sharp stabbing pains. I begun having sharp stabbing pains in my stomach about 3 months before I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Terminal Metastatic Bowe Cancer at 37 years old. The stabbing pains started off lightly and by the end of it, it was enough pain to drop me on my knees. At first I thought I would get checked for food intolerances. As I was fit and healthy, exercising daily and eating a wholesome balanced diet. Tests came back negative to gluten intolerance. But the pain continued. Some days I would be in agony and have to keep a heat pack on it. Until one day, I couldn't bare the stabbing pains and I was airlifted out to the nearest hospital which was 45kms away. I was living remote in the desert of Australia where there was no hospital. That is why I didn't go sooner. As soon as I was in the air I was given morphine which did nothing. Then the nurse gave me Fentanyl, 100 times stronger than morphine and it began to calm the severe pain. If you have any of these symptoms please, Please go to your Doctor immediately. I didn't go straight away from living remote and I thought it wasn't anything sinister. That's is why it became advanced Cancer and spread all through my abdomen, liver, ovaries and starting from my bowel. I felt each stabbing pain, when it was spreading in my bowel with a tumour almost blocking my bowels. I felt the lump appear and was told it may just be a lymph node. That was the tumour I was feeling. And as it spread during that time, I felt it reach my ovaries as the stabbing pains continued. Never in a million years would I think that I would have this cruel disease in my body trying to kill me. Cancer hurts 😓 I pray to God every day to take away the pain and heal me from this disease 🙏 #cancer #bowelcancer #terminalcancer #stage4cancer #cancersucks #cancerfighter #cancerawarness #cancerjourney #metastatic #metastaticcancer #cancerwarrior #terminalcancerjourney #awareness ♬ son original - 🌅🤍🫶🏻 'And as it spread during that time, I felt it reach my ovaries as the stabbing pains continued. 'Never in a million years would I think that I would have this cruel disease in my body trying to kill me. Cancer hurts.' In the three months before she was airlifted to hospital, Ms Maeyke—who was 'fit and healthy' and has 'no hereditary cancer' in her family—experienced other symptoms which can signal cancer. 'I started to feel tired all day, everyday but I thought I was just a busy mum. I was having irregular bowel movements but I thought it was IBS. 'I was having night sweats but I thought it was the summer heat,' she said. She has also urged people to take night sweats seriously, and to seek medical advice if they are ongoing and extreme like hers were. 'Looking back now, I was experiencing persistent night sweats a few months before I was diagnosed. 'I would wake up during the night drenched in sweat, enough so I had to change clothes and sheets. And some nights it would happen a few times. 'It was summer time and I slept with the air con on and a fan, so I just thought it was my air con not keeping up with the summer heat. So I ignored this sign. 'The relationship between night sweats and cancer is unclear. However, researchers believe multiple factors may be involved. 'Your body's fight against cancer is one of them. Another is changes in hormone levels caused by the cancer and your body's response.' Ms Maeyke, now 39, has been bravely sharing her ongoing battle against cancer on TikTok, informing her 50,000 followers of some of the key signs—common and lesser known—of cancer, and the steps doctors have taken to try and extend her life. She has also spoken openly about the hardest part of her situation, the welfare and future of her son, Maison. In a GoFundMe she set up to try and create a financial cushion for her family during her illness and beyond, she wrote: 'The true weight of my struggle lies not in my own pain, but the potential loss for my 12-year-old son, Maison. 'A vulnerable child who may miss out on the love and presence of his mother. Maison witnessing the toll that this disease is and will take on me is already challenging. He yearns for my warmth, guidance, and unwavering love—a love that cancer threatens to steal away.' A recent global study found rates of bowel cancer in under 50 year-olds are rising in 27 of 50 nations. England is averaging a 3.6 per cent rise in younger adults every year - one of the highest increases recorded, with roughly 2 per cent rise among young people in the US. While the disease is known to be linked to obesity, experts have noted that it also seems to be occurring in fit and healthy patients. Some believe the explanation must lie in environmental factors young people have been exposed to more than previous generations, such as plastics and even pollution. Signs of bowel cancer include abdominal pain, a lump in the abdomen, bloating and feeling very tired or short of breath. Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in the stool, occurs when cancerous tumours bleed into the digestive tract. However, bowel cancer can also appear with no symptoms until it has spread, where it becomes harder to treat. Overall, just over half of bowel cancer patients are expected to be alive 10 years after their diagnosis. But cancers of all types are on the rise in young people. In a landmark study, Cancer Research UK examined 50 years of NHS data and found that the risk of developing cancer has risen sharply, particularly among young people. In this demographic diagnoses had risen by up to 23 per cent in people aged 20 to 49. Researchers are still trying to explore factors being the rise in early onset cancers, with some suggesting modern diets, exposures to microplastics, or a combination of several triggers could be to blame.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
NT police investigate death in care after man falls from Alice Springs Hospital window
Northern Territory police are investigating the death of a man who fell from a window of Alice Springs Hospital last month. The ABC understands the Indigenous man smashed through a second storey window and either jumped or fell from the window in the hospital's surgical ward. NT police said officers responded to reports of an injured 29-year-old man at the hospital around 1pm on May 20. A spokesperson later confirmed the man "succumbed to his injuries" on May 23. "Police are investigating the incident as a death in care on behalf of the coroner," they said in a statement. "Any further questions are best directed towards NT Health and the coroner's office." Southern Watch Commander James Gray-Spence told ABC Radio Alice Springs he couldn't say much about the case because it was a death in care. However he said the man had been linked to a "disturbance" in the Alice Springs suburb of East Side on May 14, in which a man allegedly jumped onto a vehicle. "Given that it's within the realms of a week, six days in between those incidents, that will form part of the factors for consideration of that investigation," Commander Gray-Spence said. Commander Gray-Spence said a person had been taken into custody after the May 14 incident but would not confirm if it was the same man who died at the hospital more than a week later. He said the man was not in police custody at the time of his death. The ABC put several questions to NT Health about the circumstances of the man's death but a spokesperson said it was "unable to provide comment due to patient confidentiality". "The matter is also being investigated by police on behalf of the coroner," they said. Health Minister Steve Edgington was also contacted for comment. An NT government spokesperson responded with: "This is a tragic and deeply distressing situation for the family involved and our thoughts are with them." As the incident is being treated as a death in care, it will trigger a mandatory coronial inquest. The investigation comes as NT police investigate two deaths in police custody, which will also come before the coroner. One is the death of Kumanjayi White, who died after being restrained by plain-clothed police at an Alice Springs supermarket on May 27. The other is the death in custody of a Wadeye elder, who died in Royal Darwin Hospital on Saturday, a week after he was detained by federal police at Darwin airport.
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Territory medical students invited to explore options at Medical Expo
The NT's medical students and junior doctors are getting the chance to explore their options, speak to healthcare specialists from 25 organisations and learn hands-on skills at this year's NT Medical Career Expo 2025. The interactive, free event offers opportunities to build knowledge and practice in areas such as suturing, resuscitation, cannulation, ultrasound, diagnostic games, and even Rorschach tests. Running for its seventh year, the event hosted by Flinders University's NT Regional Training Hub, will take place on Tuesday, June 3, from 5:30pm. This year, 25 organisations, including 12 national medical specialty colleges such as the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, will be taking part in the event. It follows after Flinders University welcomed its largest ever cohort of medical students this year. Professor Robyn Aitken, Dean of Rural and Remote Health at Flinders University, said it was an invaluable opportunity for medical students to speak with specialists and employers about their options. 'This is a chance for students and junior doctors to explore their options, ask questions, and gain insight into the many medical career pathways available right here in the NT,' she said. Students said expo helped them understand 'what kind of doctor they want to be' Students who have attended past expos said it has been very helpful in shaping their career path. Loni Schramm, a third-year medical student currently on placement at Alice Springs Hospital, attended the event in 2023 and 2024. Remembering the hands-on skills, she said she particularly enjoyed performing punch biopsies on chicken thighs with pathologists and learning how to use ophthalmoscopes to examine eyes. 'We were all impressed by the simulation stations, especially seeing consultants and retrieval doctors demonstrate advanced life support techniques like CPR in mid-air and how to intubate,' she said. 'But it wasn't just about the skills — the chance to speak directly with hospital consultants, remote clinicians, and other leaders in the field helped me understand what kind of doctor I want to become.' While in Alice Springs, Loni, who is also president of the Central Australian Remote Health Student Society, is now exploring rural generalist training pathways and hopes to work in remote NT communities in the future. It is expected that around 100 students, junior doctors and health service staff will attend this year's expo in Darwin. Those attending will also be entered into a prize draw. One of the top prizes includes a City Cave Complete Wellness Experience valued at $209, featuring a float therapy session, infra-red sauna, and massage. The expo is on Tuesday, June 3, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm in the ground floor foyer of Menzies School of Health Research, Royal Darwin Hospital.
7NEWS
29-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Family ‘in the dark' after death in custody of Indigenous man with disability at Coles supermarket in Alice Springs
Disturbing details have emerged about the death of a young man in custody at a Coles supermarket on Tuesday. The young man, who died after being pinned to the ground by police, was a 24-year-old Warlpiri man from Yuendumu, a remote community about three-and-a-half hours northwest of Alice Springs. The young man, who lived with a disability, had been in Alice Springs for a number of years, and was under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan. He was confronted by security guards who believed he was shoplifting in the confectionary aisle of Coles about 1.10pm. NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said the 24-year-old man was then 'taken to the ground' after a scuffle with the guards, and held there for 'a number of minutes'. Plain-clothed officers then arrived and handcuffed the young man — this is when police determined he had lost consciousness. The handcuffs were removed and police began CPR until paramedics arrived and took the 24-year-old man to Alice Springs Hospital, where he was declared dead about 2.20pm. His cause of death was unable to be determined by a preliminary autopsy, and the forensic pathologist is required for further investigation. Calls for inquiry amid reports 'knee was behind his head' There is no independent inquiry into the death at this stage. While Wurst said police will approach the 'complex investigation' with an 'objective lens', calls are mounting for additional scrutiny. One woman told NT News that she witnessed people calling out to police during the incident: 'This fella has a disability, he's disabled, just be a bit more careful.' 'And then all of a sudden he started fitting on the ground, like he was having a seizure,' the woman said. One witness told the outlet they saw an officer's 'knee was behind his head', and another witness told the ABC: 'It looked pretty violent, and then they slammed him to the ground.' Wurst said police would not 'provide specifics in relation to the actual incident and the conduct of the security guards or officers', when he was questioned about these witness reports during a press conference. Amnesty International Australia called for an investigation to be conducted, independent of NT Police, to 'ensure impartiality and to maintain public confidence in the process'. 'The death of yet another young Aboriginal person in police custody is unacceptable and demands immediate action,' an Amnesty spokesperson said. There have been 593 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Community mourns, family left 'in the dark' The young man's grandfather, Yuendumu elder and Warlpiri man Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said the family has been left 'in the dark about what really happened'. He has called for access to the CCTV and bodycam footage, which Wurst said is currently informing the police investigation. 'Family representatives need to see all available footage of this incident immediately, both CCTV and bodycam, so we can understand what happened to my jaja (grandson),' Hargraves said. 'We are terrified. We are shattered. We are frustrated. This is happening again and again. 'They (police) are saying they want to come and say sorry to us — no. We can't go on saying sorry, sorry, sorry.' The Yuendumu community were a fortnight away from receiving the coronal findings about the death of Kumanjayi Walker, a Warlpiri and Luritja teen, also from Yuendumu, who was shot three times at close range by former NT police officer Zachary Rolfe in 2019. An inquiry into the shooting found Rolfe not guilty on all charges over the 19-year-old's death in 2022. After years of waiting, Hargraves said the community is now considering postponing the visit from NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage, who was set to reveal her findings to them on June 10. 'Because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much,' Hargraves said. 'Criminalisation of disability' The First Peoples Disability Network said the death highlighted 'the increasing criminalisation of disability' and exposed failings with the guardianship system and the NDIS. Senator Lidia Thorpe called the young man's death yet another case of 'brutal force' used against Indigenous people. 'He was hungry and he needed care. Instead, he was met with brutal force,' she said in a statement. 'This is not an isolated tragedy — it's part of a brutal pattern where our people die at the hands of police and in prisons. We won't stop speaking out until it ends.' Indigenous Australians Minister and NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy described the incident as devastating — that a man 'just searching for some food' had died. A senior relative of the man said in a statement his Warlpiri people were devastated by the death and angry that another young man had 'lost his life at the hands of the police'. 'What are the police doing using such force on a vulnerable young man in a supermarket? Did they even try to de-escalate? 'Why was he there alone, where were the carers who were supposed to be responsible for him?' 'We cannot tolerate this situation, with continued brutality and lack of respect.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Family wants footage of police death in custody
The family of a young Aboriginal man who died after being forcibly restrained by police officers wants footage of the incident to be released to them so they can understand what happened. The incident could lead to the postponement of the Northern Territory coroner's release of findings into the notorious police shooting death of Indigenous teen Kumanjayi Walker in an outback town in 2019. A mentally disabled 24-year-old was forced to the floor by two plain-clothes officers on Tuesday, following an alleged shoplifting incident and assault on a security guard in Alice Springs. The man was handcuffed but lost consciousness and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at Alice Springs Hospital. A woman who witnessed the incident told the NT News one of the officers "had his knee behind his head". An autopsy on Wednesday did not determine the cause of death, police have said, and CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage is being viewed. The young man's grandfather, Yuendumu elder and Warlpiri man Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said the family was "in the dark about what really happened" and he had asked his lawyer for access to the footage. "Family representatives need to see all available footage of this incident immediately - both CCTV and body cam so we can understand what happened to my jaja (grandson)," he said. The man's death has prompted his original home community of Yuendumu to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings into the 2019. Mr Walker was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty on all charges over the 19-year-old's death in 2022. Mr Hargraves said the community was talking about postponing the June 10 event "because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much". "We are terrified. We are shattered. We are frustrated. This is happening again and again,'' he told AAP. "They (police) are saying they want to come and say sorry to us - no. We can't go on saying sorry, sorry, sorry." Mr Hargraves said his grandson was a "skinny bloke" who had excess pressure put on him. He referred to the case of Black American George Floyd, who died after being held to the ground with a Minneapolis police officer's knee on his neck in 2020. "What are the police doing using such force on a vulnerable young man in a supermarket? Did they even try to de-escalate?" Mr Hargraves said. "We cannot tolerate this situation, with continued brutality and lack of respect." The dead man is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan. Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst has offered his condolences to the family. He said police would investigate the incident "with an objective lens". Indigenous Australians Minister and NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said it was devastating news that a man "just searching for some food" had died and she had talked to the family to express her sympathy. She said the Yuendumu community had gone through a traumatic time after Mr Walker's death and the latest loss heightened concerns over keeping calm in the community on all sides. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
