Terri Grosser’s legacy lives on

When Terri Grosser first noticed a changing mole on her thigh, she booked a check-up with her GP. She was 35 at the time, juggling life as a young mum with three children, and living in Charters Towers in Central Queensland. Her initial diagnosis of stage 3 melanoma would turn her family’s world upside down.

Over the years that followed, Terri went through more than 10 surgeries. Her family felt incredibly supported by their network in Mt Isa, and her openness about her diagnosis brought the community together – they organised a nightly “meal train”, supported the family emotionally and financially, and offered hands-on help.

Her sister, Kara Thompson, remembers it all vividly.

“The amount of financial, emotional and physical support throughout Terri’s journey was amazing…every night at 6 o’clock someone would rock up with a beautiful meal,” Kara said.

“But that’s what this community is like…I think sometimes when you’re in such a remote location, not everyone is blessed to have family here, so people make their friends and community their family.”

“It’s the kind of place where if there’s a problem or someone’s having an issue in town, people just band together and help.”

The local cancer care unit with its dedicated nurses helped Terri continue treatment close to home, and telehealth brought some appointments within reach. But major appointments – including scans and oncology consults – still meant flying nearly 2,000km to Brisbane.

“The preparation involved with each trip was huge,” Kara said. “Flights, accommodation, food, taxis – it just adds up.”

“There was always the recovery after surgery and the feeling of “Did they get all the cancer?”

“And it was tricky because with kids at that age, they don’t understand. They want mummy to keep doing everything. We tried to keep everything normal for the kids.”

“Then there were the side effects from the medication. She was having to still be mum and a wife, and a friend, but when you’re exhausted and have a terminal diagnosis, it’s tough.”

Terri sadly passed away in 2024 after living with cancer for eight years, but her legacy lives on – not only in her three children, but in the countless people who were moved by her story to make time to book in for a skin screening.

“If anyone could get anything out of my story, it’s please get your skin checked,” Terri told the ABC in 2021. “You need to get it checked every year, and if anything on your skin changes.”

That message, delivered from the heart, continues to ripple through the community.

“We still hear stories of people who got checked because of her,” Kara said. “They’d come up and say, ‘We found something early. She saved our life.’”

Kara remembers her sister as endlessly positive, even while going through treatment.

“She was just the most beautiful person,” Kara said. “She wanted her kids to know she was more than what happened to her.”

Now, her family continues the work Terri started – urging others to prioritise skin checks and protect themselves from the sun, and advocating for better access to care in regional areas.

“We spread the message far and wide about people getting their skin checked.”

“We’re always onto all the kids about sun safety, sunscreen and hats,” Kara said. “Sometimes, they’ll be like ‘Oh no, again?’, but they know why it’s so important.”

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