Key Takeaways
- Alicia Brough raised funds to travel to Mexico for costly treatment at the Sanoviv Medical Institute, aiming to combat a terminal clear cell sarcoma.
- While in Mexico she was prescribed the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, which triggered type 1 diabetes and liver complications.
- Persistent knee pain from the sarcoma led doctors to recommend a leg amputation to improve her quality of life.
- Brough delayed the surgery until March to enjoy one final summer with her leg, ultimately undergoing the procedure in Auckland.
- Three weeks post‑amputation (mid‑thigh), she reports reduced pain, a renewed sense of self, and ongoing phantom‑sensation challenges.
- She is adapting with a walker and crutches, anticipates a prosthetic leg in about three months, and plans to modify her car for driving.
- An additional cryoablation procedure was performed in Auckland to target residual abnormal tissue; its effectiveness is still pending.
- Despite a terminal prognosis, Brough focuses on positive mindset shifts and regaining activity as a mother.
- The story was reported by Michaela Gower of Hawke’s Bay Today, who covers rural and farming news in the Hastings region.
Background and Diagnosis
Alicia Brough’s health crisis began with a diagnosis of clear cell sarcoma, a rare and aggressive soft‑tissue cancer that had settled in her knee. The tumour caused severe, chronic pain that limited her mobility and interfered with her role as an active mother. Faced with a terminal outlook, Brough sought aggressive, experimental options beyond standard New Zealand care, hoping to halt disease progression and alleviate suffering.
Decision to Seek Treatment in Mexico
In June of the previous year, Hawke’s Bay Today spoke with Brough while she was fundraising to receive treatment abroad. She aimed to go to the Sanoviv Medical Institute in Mexico, a facility known for offering integrative oncology therapies. The estimated cost for a three‑week regimen was $100,000, a sum she hoped to cover through community donations and personal effort.
Fundraising Efforts
Brough’s fundraising campaign involved outreach to friends, family, and local networks, supplemented by social media appeals and events. The goal was not only to finance the Mexican treatment but also to raise awareness about rare sarcomas and the financial barriers patients encounter when pursuing innovative therapies abroad. community response demonstrated solidarity, though the full amount remained a significant hurdle as she prepared for departure.
Adverse Reaction to Keytruda and Health Complications
While at Sanoviv, physicians prescribed Keytruda (pembrolizumab), an immune‑checkpoint inhibitor used in various cancers. Instead of delivering the anticipated antitumour effect, the drug provoked serious side effects: Brough developed type 1 diabetes and experienced notable liver impairment. These complications added layers of medical complexity, forcing her to manage new chronic conditions alongside the original sarcoma.
Decision for Leg Amputation
The persistent pain in her knee, exacerbated by the tumour’s growth and the systemic effects of Keytruda, led her medical team to advise a leg amputation as a palliative measure. Removing the limb was expected to relieve the mechanical source of pain and improve her overall comfort, even though it would not alter the underlying terminal prognosis. Brough grappled with the decision, weighing the loss of mobility against the promise of pain reduction.
Amputation Surgery Experience
Initially slated for November, Brough postponed the surgery until March to enjoy one final summer with her leg intact. On the day of the operation in Auckland, she described feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Upon waking and seeing the empty space where her leg had been, the reality felt surreal, and she acknowledged that there was “no going back.” The procedure removed the leg halfway down her thigh, thereby extracting the largest tumour mass from her body.
Post‑Operative Recovery and Phantom Pain
Three weeks after the amputation, Brough reported a noticeable decrease in pain, attributing relief to the eradication of the tumour‑bearing limb. Despite the physical absence of her leg, she experiences vivid phantom sensations: an intermittent electric‑fence‑like shock around her missing foot, an urge to scratch an itch that no longer exists, and a sensation of dead weight hanging where the ankle should be. These phenomena are common after amputation and reflect the brain’s continued mapping of the removed limb.
Adaptation and Rehabilitation
During recovery, Brough relies on a walker and crutches, noting that she can stand for longer periods than before the surgery. She estimates that it will take approximately three months to receive a prosthetic leg, which she hopes will enable her to return to sporting activities she enjoys. Simultaneously, she is exploring modifications to her vehicle to regain independent driving and is figuring out practical tasks such as vacuuming with her new mobility aids.
Additional Procedures and Outlook
While in Auckland, Brough also underwent cryoablation—a technique that uses extreme cold, typically argon gas, to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue, including residual cancer cells. She is awaiting results to determine whether this adjunctive procedure has contributed to disease control. Although the amputation does not change her terminal prognosis, Brough has consciously shifted her mindset toward focusing on the positives: feeling like a “new person,” embracing life without the limb, and striving to remain an engaged, pain‑reduced mother.
Journalist Note
The account was gathered and written by Michaela Gower, a reporter who joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based in the Hastings newsroom. Gower routinely covers Dannevirke and wider Hawke’s Bay affairs, with a particular interest in farming and rural community stories, bringing a local perspective to Brough’s personal medical journey.