Community climbs Mount Maunganui for Sharon Fenwick and cancer awareness

A mass group walk up Mount Maunganui last Saturday wasn’t just a show of respect and support for a local woman battling cancer but also to raise awareness of the disease.

Around 70 friends, colleagues and local sportspeople joined Sharon Fenwick on what she believes will be her last time at the summit of Mauao.

“I was very surprised by the turnout,” she said.

“I’d posted it on Facebook because we needed helpers for the TrailRider [off-road wheelchair] and then so many people came – even a couple of my nieces who live in the South Island and in Taranaki.”

The 58-year-old Welcome Bay resident was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer in 2022.

Sharon Fenwick, wearing a pink cap in the centre, surrounded by friends and family at the top of Mauao on February 8. Photo / Keely Rackham

“I had abdominal distention,” recalled the nurse, who worked for the last 25 years at Grace Hospital.

“I was bloated and had a feeling of fullness and some pain but it wasn’t constant.

“Ovarian cancer is sneaky like that. I was a post-menopausal woman so at first, I didn’t think anything of those symptoms.”

Fenwick finally consulted a doctor when she felt a lump in her stomach that she thought was appendicitis.

Within weeks, she had a radical hysterectomy before starting chemotherapy.

Colleague Jolinda Louw said her mission now is to raise money and awareness.

“Despite treatment, her health is deteriorating,” Louw said.

“Through it all, Sharon has remained incredibly positive and truly inspiring. She doesn’t have much energy now.

“She struggles up a flight of stairs so her wish was to see the top of Mount Maunganui one more time.”

“My cancer’s just taken off,” Fenwick said.

“I have a big belly of tumours and after five rounds of chemotherapy, we’re running out of options.

“I used to go up the mount twice a week and loved to catch the sunrise at the top. It was just a great way to kick start my day. Last Saturday, it was really hot – there were a few burned bodies but the sea looked so beautiful.”

“Sharon is one of those amazing people who don’t complain about anything,” Louw said.

“She’s worked fulltime until now and there were times we could see she was uncomfortable. She’s such a positive person and very into getting awareness out there so others don’t go through what she has.”

Several teams in this Sunday’s Calley Homes Women’s Triathlon will be running for Fenwick to raise money for ovarian cancer research.

“Currently, there’s no diagnostic test like there is for prostate cancer or breast cancer, so the funds raised will support efforts to develop one.

“It’s heartwarming that so many are getting involved.”

To donate, go to the Ovarian Cancer Foundation.