Photography: Eva Bradley
Clinical nutritionist Gina Urlich has spent her life helping women understand and nourish their bodies. But in late 2023, when her own body began whispering something wasn’t right, the mum of four learned first-hand how vital it is to stop and truly listen.
“I was not feeling myself – I was really exhausted and bloated, and I just knew something wasn’t quite right,” shares Gina, 41, who in her twenties worked as a nurse at a women’s hospital in Australia.
“I knew from my gynaecologist hospital days that this group of symptoms was somewhat similar to patients with ovarian cancer.”
A life turned upside down
Come early 2024, she was in the hospital, facing a rare and aggressive diagnosis of stage four signet cell carcinoma, an advanced form of cancer where malignant cells spread to other organs.
After devoting her life to pursuing optimal health and sharing her expertise online with more than 100,000 followers, it was a devastating blow.
“It was a big shift for me going from being a health practitioner to a patient,” admits Gina. “Once I found out it was a 20cm tumour on my ovary and it was malignant, it did feel incredibly unfair.”
Four months of testing, procedures and waiting followed, as doctors worked to understand exactly what they were dealing with.
“There was a long process between them finding a mass in my ovary to getting a formal diagnosis. I was in denial for quite a long time, hoping maybe it’s just a cyst on my ovary.”
Eventually, doctors discovered the cancer had originated with a tiny 0.3cm primary tumour in her stomach and had spread to her ovary.
A life-saving surgery
On Mother’s Day 2024, Gina woke up in the intensive care unit after a 12-hour surgery.
“I lost most of my stomach, my omentum [the apron-like fold of tissue that hangs down from the stomach over the intestines] and ovaries, and underwent hot chemotherapy through my abdomen while surgeons fought to save my life,” she explains.
“I trained for that surgery like it was a marathon. I knew I needed to be as strong and healthy as possible – and have the mental resilience for three weeks in hospital.”
Working closely with her medical team, Gina has also used a combination of complementary therapies, including time in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a strict wholefood diet, Vedic meditation, acupuncture, weekly intravenous vitamin C and natural supplements.
“Early on, I had a surgeon say to me, ‘Throw everything at this,’ and so I have. It’s definitely beneficial having a medical background so I can really advocate for myself,” says Gina, who, after training as a nurse straight out of school went on to clinical nutrition studies.
Through it all, it’s not her own fear that weighs heaviest, but knowing how her cancer impacts her family, husband Dylan, 41, and their four children aged 19 to five.
“The hardest part has been my kids seeing their mum unwell,” shares Gina. “I went through lots of treatment, lots of time in hospital and surgeries, and it really impacted the kids.”
Turning pain into purpose
While cancer has turned her world upside down, it’s also strengthened her resolve to help others prioritise their health.
For Gina, that starts as early as a baby’s first foods. When clients would ask her for commercial baby food recommendations, she realised that as a health care practitioner of 20 years standing, she wouldn’t personally recommend any of the locally available options in New Zealand.
So, using ingredients like bone broth, organ blends and collagen, Gina made it her mission to create a range of wholefood pouches, freeze-dried powders and snacks she’d be happy to feed her own children. The result is the recently launched Odi Organic.
“I found that work was a good distraction for me not to be solely focused on being sick. It was nice to have some normality and structure back in my life, and doing something I’m so excited about,” beams Gina.
Looking to her future, she says, “It’s a little unknown.”
Gina is in remission and continues to have a circulating tumour cell test every six months and recently learned there is no genetic link to her cancer – something she describes as a huge relief for her children.
“I feel well and have a really good mindset,” says Gina, who now values her health more than ever.
“When we are healthy, we have hundreds of dreams and goals, and when we’re unhealthy, we have just one, to be well. I have huge dreams and goals for the business, but personally and for my family, I just want time to have lots of moments together.”
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