Well this is hardly a great news story as you can not tell how far the cancer they had was advanced.
It seems to be that until you detail more about the treatment they had before they were meant to be seen you can not give a overall constructive view.
As the article said they could be almost dead already.
Telehealth rethink for doctors
Doctors in the South Island will pioneer a fresh approach to telemedicine after deciding to abandon a hi-tech telepresence system set up on the West Coast that became a flagbearer for ultrafast broadband. Ref. Source 5