Jo vs Cancer

This is the episode we never wanted to make. Battling cancer was the fight of Jo's life, but on July 25, she died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, after staving off stage 4 cancer for more than two years. Determined to the last, she asked friend and colleague Colleen O'Hanlon to record one last conversation for this podcast. With her family's support, we are releasing it to honour one of Jo's final wishes. A range of organisations, including the Cancer Society and Bowel Cancer NZ, offer support services and information to cancer patients and their whanau. For a longer list, visit Health Navigator.

In the final episode, Jo talks about how hard it is to face the future. With characteristic humour, she reveals how she chose her own embalmer - and why she might officiate her own funeral. She concludes by telling Colleen that cancer might have hijacked her life, but it hasn’t crippled her: “I'm still a strong woman and I'm fighting this with every ounce of my breath.” A range of organisations, including the Cancer Society and Bowel Cancer NZ, offer support services and information to cancer patients and their whanau. For a longer list, visit Health Navigator.

Jo explains how she makes herself comfortable during chemotherapy and why she likes talking to other patients. She tells Colleen about the cost, both financial and physical, of travelling hours to her appointments. She busts myths about hair loss and tackles the mental impact of her illness. A range of organisations, including the Cancer Society and Bowel Cancer NZ, offer support services and information to cancer patients and their whanau. For a longer list, visit Health Navigator.

In the aftermath of surgery to remove a tumour “like a big wedge of pizza”, Jo was faced with difficult conversations: what to tell her kids and the choice between public and private healthcare. She also discovered the power of hope and humour. She laughs with Colleen about her first post-op fart - and the extremely intimate story she told medical students in hospital. A range of organisations, including the Cancer Society and Bowel Cancer NZ, offer support services and information to cancer patients and their whanau. For a longer list, visit Health Navigator.

Jo McKenzie-McLean’s life was turned upside down after a stage 4 bowel cancer diagnosis. In this candid podcast, the mother-of-two joins friend and fellow journalist Colleen O’Hanlon to explore life with an incurable illness. Through tears and laughter, Jo shares her experience - from diagnosis to surgery and chemo; from the impact on self-identity and her loved ones to facing the future. Jo vs Cancer is a vulnerable yet powerful series of conversations that provides insights you’ll wish you had years ago.