Carina's treatment for rectal cancer was tougher than she could ever have imagined. Despite her illness, she continued working half-time as an mortuary technician. Work became a way to keep her fear of dying at bay.
Text: Annika Lund, in translation from Swedish. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3/2026.
"During the pandemic, I was bedridden with COVID for three weeks. Afterwards, the fatigue did not go away, which I assumed was due to the infection. But then I noticed blood and mucus in my stool and went to the doctor. During the colonoscopy, I could see the tumour on the screen myself. It was as if a curtain had been pulled down. In that moment I did not think I would live to see 50.
The first treatment was radiotherapy, which I received every day for a week. By the final treatment session, I was in so much pain in my lower back that I needed pain relief and assistance to get onto the hospital bed.
I received chemotherapy every other week for just over four months. The doctor suggested that I take sick leave, but I insisted on working part-time. I struggled with my fear of death every day, but at work I could keep those thoughts at bay. Strangely enough, because I work as a mortuary technician, and during the pandemic every part of the healthcare system was under immense pressure, including our field.
The surgery was also tough. My entire rectum was removed, along with a large section of my colon. Everything was reconnected, so I did not need a stoma. However, while I was still in hospital, a leak developed. The pain was so intense that I screamed out loud. I had to have emergency surgery and was given a temporary stoma.
I originally trained as a nursing assistant and have taken care of other people's stomas. Managing your own was a different matter: much more difficult, both practically and mentally.
Now the stoma has been removed and I have turned 50, in fact I am already 51. There are certain foods that pass through me very quickly and that I therefore avoid, but it is manageable. I have put most of the illness behind me and I am getting on with my life."
Name: Carina
Age: 51.
Occupation: mortuary technician
