Kellie Finlayson Declines Traditional Funeral, Embraces Life Celebration
Kellie Finlayson, an author and influencer battling stage four bowel cancer, has revealed her decision to forgo a traditional funeral. Instead, she wishes for her loved ones to celebrate her life rather than mourn her passing. Finlayson, who has lived with terminal cancer for five years, has meticulously organized her affairs and clearly communicated her wishes to family and friends.
‘I have everything in place and I do not want a funeral,’ Finlayson stated in a recent interview. ‘It’s the one thing I absolutely do not want, and if it happens, I’ll haunt everyone,’ she added with a laugh. ‘So, spread my ashes somewhere or do whatever, but I don’t want a funeral, and I’ve definitely made that known to anyone who needs to know. Obviously, I’ve got things in place financially – everything needs to go where it needs to go, and I’ve handled that myself. If I can have control over one thing, it will be that.’
A Powerful Advocate for Bowel Cancer Awareness
The wife of former Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson has emerged as a prominent Australian advocate for bowel cancer awareness since her diagnosis shortly after the birth of her daughter, Sophia, in 2021. Now 30, Finlayson has surpassed her initial prognosis by approximately three years and continues to undergo intensive treatment. This includes chemotherapy every three weeks and daily medication. Earlier this month, she underwent another lung resection due to the cancer spreading to her lungs in late 2022. Following the surgery, she offered a reassuring update to her supporters via Instagram.
‘Thank you so, so much to everyone who has checked in,’ she wrote. ‘Surgery went well; I’ll talk about it more when I can keep my eyes open.’
Daughter Sophia: The Driving Force Behind Her Fight
Despite the ongoing treatment, Finlayson identifies her daughter Sophia as the primary motivation behind her determination to continue fighting. ‘I would never tell her, not until she’s older at least, but she’s definitely been the reason I’ve made it this far,’ she explained. ‘You can’t exactly say no to this perfect little human being saying, ‘Mummy, I want to play.”
‘So she got me out of bed on days that I definitely didn’t want to get out of bed.’ Finlayson considers herself ‘one of the lucky ones’ because her treatment remains effective. ‘I’m pretty good at it,’ she remarked about chemotherapy, acknowledging the unusual sentiment. ‘I guess I’m fortunate that treatment works for me. So, I have three-weekly infusions and then I take chemo tablets daily, morning and night.’
Navigating Treatment and Personal Choices
Finlayson also disclosed that she disregarded the advice of her first oncologist after a relapse in early 2023, believing a different approach has allowed her to continue living a full life. ‘And if I had listened to my first oncologist, literally, if I’d listened to everything he’d said, I’d be dead by now, which is crazy,’ she stated. ‘I would have been in palliative care like three years ago.’ Instead, she pursued a second opinion and later married Jeremy in a low-key ceremony after initially postponing their wedding when the cancer spread.
The couple has also faced the emotional challenge of seven unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers in their efforts to give Sophia a sibling. ‘We actually had seven failed transfers, so it was a really tough 16 months,’ Finlayson shared. ‘Obviously, things didn’t work out, but that’s fine… it ended up costing me more mentally than it was worth.’
Focus on Living and Inspiring Others
Finlayson deliberately separates conversations about her illness from family life at home. ‘Home is not the hospital, and the hospital is where those conversations happen. Home is where it’s just us living.’ She also prefers discussing a ‘living list’ over a bucket list. ‘That’s because I don’t want to kick the bucket,’ she quipped.
Her current focus is on leveraging her experience to encourage younger Australians to prioritize their health and seek medical advice if something feels amiss. ‘But I’ve got so many things in the works,’ she said. ‘I just want to be in front of rooms of people that haven’t heard me speak before so that they take themselves a little bit more seriously, and that’s kind of the aim this year.’
While acknowledging difficult days, Finlayson remains resolute in making the most of her time. ‘I say I’m one of the lucky ones because treatment works for me,’ she concluded. ‘I am genuinely one of the lucky ones.’
