Before Auckland GP Heidi MacRae tragically died on Wednesday after a breast cancer battle she urged her patients to get screened and seek the best treatment. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Before Auckland GP Heidi MacRae tragically died on Wednesday after a breast cancer battle she urged her patients to get screened and seek the best treatment. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
In the final days of Auckland doctor Heidi MacRae’s brave battle with terminal cancer, her thoughts remained with her patients.
The GP – a mum of three teenagers - sadly died on Wednesday, after being diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
About 15 per cent of breast cancer cases are triple-negative; a type of cancer that does not show any of the receptors commonly found in breast cancer.
MacRae was a popular GP based at Medplus on Auckland’s North Shore until she had to stop working earlier this year due to her health battle, as cancer spread to her spine and brain.
In a letter to patients, Medplus practice manager Katherine Williams wrote with “deepest sadness” that “our beloved Dr Heidi MacRae” had died.
“Heidi’s final message to you all is to make every day count, take time to make special memories with those close to you, and keep up with your regular health checks,” Williams wrote.
“Life is so worth it.”
MacRae was diagnosed with the aggressive form of breast cancer following a mammogram in September 2021.
Then aged 50, she told the Herald last December that was due for a mammogram in August but it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and initially rebooked for December.
After persistent high temperatures, the “fit and healthy” mum felt something was wrong so she pushed for further testing.
Only then was an aggressive 2.5cm breast cancer tumour discovered.
In the letter to Medplus patients, Williams wrote that MacRae wanted to ensure other women didn’t face delays for either breast cancer screenings or treatment.
“Her dream was to make it easier for the women who get diagnosed with breast cancer in the future to receive the most up-to-date treatment, and therefore have every chance of beating the cancer, regardless of their social status,” the letter read.
“Right up to the end she implored us to continue to get her message across to all women, encouraging them never to delay or skip their regular mammogram checks, and to fight for investigations when something just didn’t feel right.”
That was a message echoed in a moving message to Medplus patients on July 20 by MacRae.
In a letter she announced with “much regret” she couldn’t return to work the following month, as planned, due to the cancer’s spread.
She wrote the letter as she prepared to travel to Australia for Gamma Knife radiation treatment not available in New Zealand.
“I still feel passionately that everyone in New Zealand should be able to access the best modern treatments, and if you can, please make sure that Minister Little [Health Minister Andrew Little] and your MP know that far more needs to be done to improve access to life-changing medications and treatments,” MacRae wrote.
“Visit the Medicine Gap website to comprehend the situation. The treatment I need in Sydney is not available here yet and I am so privileged to be able to access it.
“Very importantly, do not ignore those mammogram reminders, get all the women in your life booked in for breast screening as soon as possible.
“For those that are eligible please get your bowel cancer screening tests done promptly, all cancers are best caught early. No excuses.”
MacRae underwent intensive chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and radiation therapy during her cancer battle.
While she wasn’t able to work as a frontline GP during treatment, she worked behind the scenes at Medplus by providing administration support throughout the Omicron outbreak.
Heidi MacRae had to seek some cancer treatments in Australia which weren't available here. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Williams – who did not respond to a request for comment from the Herald – wrote the work she did helped ensure quality care was available to all patients.
She added that both MacRae and her family had been “so grateful for the amazing support from so many of you over the past year”.
“Heidi’s request was that if any of you wanted to show your support, she would be most appreciative if you would donate to the Breast Cancer Foundation or to Harbour Hospice North Shore, in place of any flowers or other items.”
MacRae initially shared her story with the Herald as it emerged there had been 45,000 fewer breast screens performed in the past two years – during the Covid-19 outbreak - compared to the two years prior.
The decrease sparked fears it could lead to hundreds of preventable deaths from a variety of cancers.
The figures came after the Breast Cancer Foundation warned more than 133 New Zealand women could die of a breast cancer they didn’t know they had unless the Government took urgent action.
