Episode 1: Diagnosis

Jo explains her motivation for making this podcast, recalls becoming fast friends with Colleen and shares the first part of her cancer story. The aspiring ultra-marathon runner discusses the gradual deterioration of her health, her fight for a colonoscopy and the life-changing moment she was told she had a tumour in her bowel. 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.

Om Podcasten

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.