The aim of World NET Cancer Day is to raise awareness of NET cancers. This year, we've had wonderful support from our community and have sent coffee cups to many cafes around New Zealand. We've had a particularly wonderful response from Methven, where Alison Cox has rallied all the leading cafes to participate. We thought you'd enjoy the press release that we issued today:

Methven woman, Alison Cox, is hoping to revisit Scotland once safe global travel resumes, after her European holiday was dramatically cut short in 2019. After a typical tourist day out, Ms Cox ended up in the emergency department in Glasgow having experienced debilitating flank pain. She never expected to be returning to New Zealand in the days following with a life-changing cancer diagnosis.
 
The first time Ms Cox ever heard of neuroendocrine (NET) cancer was when she was delivered her diagnosis, leaving her shocked and confused. “I was told it was an aggressive rare cancer called neuroendocrine cancer. I didn’t have a clue what it was. Everything was complicated.”
Ms Cox’s life expectancy was slashed to just 12 months. She started chemotherapy treatment immediately, followed by surgery to reduce the amount of cancer that saw removal of her ovaries, appendix, rectouterine pouch and peritoneum.
 
Although Ms Cox didn’t realise it, she may have been showing symptoms of NETs as far back as ten years ago, suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhoea. 
 
“I can’t confirm, but my irritable bowel could have been a warning” says Cox.
 
As Ms Cox now knows, for most patients it takes an average of 5-6 years to be correctly diagnosed. Symptoms of NETs are commonly misdiagnosed as anxiety, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), asthma, diabetes, or menopause (in women). This largely unheard-of cancer is not uncommon, with one New Zealander each day being diagnosed.
 
Ms Cox is now doing her bit to get people talking about neuroendocrine cancer. In her small town of Methven she has recruited all the top cafes to help raise awareness by serving coffee in ‘Let’s Talk about NETs’ takeaway cups, for World NET Day on November 10.
 
Neuroendocrine Cancer New Zealand is the national charity behind the ‘Let’s Talk About NETs’ coffee cup campaign. The charity helps neuroendocrine cancer patients and their whānau with information and support. CEO Michelle Sullivan says “We want Kiwis to be more aware of these symptoms because right now more than half of all patients have advanced cancer that has spread around their body by the time they are diagnosed.”
 
On world NET day, participating cafes will serve takeaway drinks in branded coffee cups to get customers talking about what NET cancer is, what symptoms to look out for and where to go for more information. Sullivan says the focus is to build knowledge and awareness of the disease amongst the public and medical profession.
 
Ms Cox is so grateful for the support and information that Unicorn Foundation NZ has provided her and has rallied participation from Methven cafés, Primo, Topp Country, Arabica and Café 131, for the World NET Cancer Day coffee cup campaign on Wednesday (see below for links).