More FM Host Sarah Gandy on How She Faced Redundancy and Stage 3 Cancer

The thought of losing your job is daunting.

The sudden loss of income, the disruption of routine, and the sheer unpredictability of what comes next would throw anyone off balance.

But imagine facing all of that alongside a stage 3 cancer diagnosis.

That was the reality for More FM Drive host Sarah Gandy.

Appearing on a new episode of the Where’s My Money? podcast alongside hosts Mike Peru from The Breeze and Yas Coe from The Edge, Gandy opened up about the moment her life unraveled.

Reflecting on her broadcasting career, from starting out as an intern to realizing she preferred being on-air over management, she recalled the dramatic turning point that followed.

"I went back on air on the radio, and then lost my job on the radio at the same time as getting a cancer diagnosis," she shared.

The double blow created an immense emotional and financial toll, taking her from complete stability to total uncertainty overnight.

“Suddenly I was having to go, 'Okay, cool. We've got to cover the fact that I'm not earning full-time anymore,'" Gandy explained.

Fortunately, having private health insurance provided a vital lifeline. Beyond funding her treatment, saving her from having to launch a Givealittle or GoFundMe campaign, it offered a crucial cushion for household bills.

“It also helped pay for some of our mortgage. So while I was in cancer treatment, it actually covered our financial butts a bit.”

That protection proved even more critical because her husband works as a freelancer without paid leave. While Gandy was wiped out at home from chemotherapy, he had to balance taking on work with caring for her.

“Our earnings as a couple went down because he needed to look after me,” she said, sharing how quickly a family's financial position can shift. “I went from thinking, 'I'm always going to have a paycheck coming in... a steady income,' to, 'Sorry, no you don't, and also you now need to try and not die.'”

Facing a stage 3 diagnosis meant confronting the real possibility that treatment might not work. During the darkest moments, Gandy said she was simply searching for proof that survival was possible, looking for anyone who had come out the other side.

"In the back of my head, I was stage three... there was a chance that, if the treatment didn't work, then there was going to be a ticking clock that was a lot faster on my life," she recalled.

Today, having navigated the worst of it, her perspective on the future has shifted dramatically.

“Now that I am alive and I'm still here, I hope I get to stay here for a bit longer,” Gandy reflected. “I'm optimistically looking at my KiwiSaver and planning for retirement and doing all those things, but actually, I just want to be happy and live a life that fulfills me.”

Listen to the full conversation on the new episode of Where’s My Money below.