A narrative inquiry into the experiences of one family's predisposition to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer

Cancer is a challenging chronic disease. For families affected by hereditary cancers, understanding and adapting to the disease is complex. A Maori family in New Zealand have recently been found to have a genetically inherited form of stomach cancer – hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. They are armed with genetic knowledge about their predisposition to the disease and can take steps to avert the cancer but this knowledge does create risk and psychosocial ramifications. The aim of the study was to explore the experience of being predisposed to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer from members on one Maori family. The existing literature had an advanced scientific understanding of the cancer and led to useful treatment guidelines, but a subjective understanding of the experience of the cancer was limited. The study reported in this thesis used a narrative inquiry methodology to understand the subjective experience of being predisposed to the stomach cancer. Eight people were interviewed and the stories they shared revealed the complexities of how the illness was uniquely experienced, in context, and over time. Nuances were also uncovered about human interactions with health care providers.