I finally went for a follow-up appointment and a rather serious discussion (I thought) with the female doctor in charge of the clinic. She told me the result of the needle biopsy would be back in 3 days (on my birthday) – and to come to the clinic with a relative or friend. I still didn’t twig and I remained confident that I would be O.K. I was reluctant to ask my 28 year old son as he had only just arrived in Townsville after a rather stressful 3 years teaching in Japan. However, in the end my dear friend and neighbour (who herself had had a double mastectomy) and my son came with me.

So on the 19th April – my 58th birthday and sitting between these two special people I was told I had breast cancer. My dear friend cried and my son was shocked and stunned – I spent my time consoling them, not really grasping what this would mean for me.

I had a lumpectomy and the removal of 6 lymph nodes as well as an internal mammary node all of which proved to be cancerous. I was reluctant to have chemotherapy but I flew to Brisbane for a second opinion. I learnt that mammograms were anything but a reliable diagnostic tool in many cases – although their promotion suggests otherwise. Anyway, in order to reassure my family and myself that I gave it my best shot, I decided to go ahead with the chemo and radiation, which I completed towards the end of 2003.

In September 2003, my brother very kindly paid for me to attend the Ian Gawler 10 day retreat in the Yarra Valley. I enjoyed the 10 days immensely and met some incredible people.

DIAGNOSIS OF SECONDARIES By July 2004 I was reporting pain in my hip. Six months later, following months of assurance by my GP that it was probably arthritis, I was diagnosed with bone metastases in the right ileum bone (pelvis). I had 3 weeks radiation at they Wesley.

In February 2005 I made the hard decision to move from Townsville to Brisbane. Partly because my mother who is 85 is needing me (and I need to be closer to her) partly to be a little closer to my son and daughter and my brother. I have a couple of close friends in Brisbane and have been pleased to make contact with women from this Support group as well as the Dragon Abreast paddlers.

ABOUT ME I am now 61 years told, divorced since 1991 and the mother of two adult children – a son, 32, who lives in Sydney and a daughter who is 34. I had enjoyed the 22 years I’d spent in Townsville working as a project officer with Commonwealth Health & Ageing, at one time being active with the women’s movement in Townsville, a union delegate in my Department when unionism still counted for something, and an environmentalist fighting to save the Hinchinbrook. On the lighter side, I was instrumental in setting up a successful Singles Club in Townsville for women and men over 40 – it was lots of fun and offered a wonderful social life and some good friends.

The day after Emma’s first birthday, I had a mastectomy at Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital and spent the next 5 days wondering about my faith. My surgeon brought me good news – good clearance around the tumour, no presence in my nodes – prognosis good. A round of CMF chemotherapy was recommended by my oncologist, 6 months an dit would all be over. My hair thinned, I felt quite sick towards the end of my treatment, and was glad the 6 months was over. About a year later I had a breast reconstruction and was thrilled with the results.

DIAGNOSIS OF SECONDARIES Life was great and my health good. My husband and the girls (Kate now 7 and Emma 5), and I went travelling around Australia on our once in a life time trip. 6 months into our trip I started to experience some shoulder pain, and with my perseverence it was discovered that I had metastatic breast cancer. A large tumour in my liver and a spot on my rib.

A year later, I was persuaded by a plastic surgeon to have a reconstruction. I didn’t ever like the look or feel of the reconstructed breast. The whole process took nearly 10 months with 3 trips to Liverpool Hospital in Sydney (we lived in Armidale, NSW at the time) with 5 trips to theatre.

All went well for just over a year, when after my usual 6 monthly mammogram I got the dreaded recall. A new “area of concern” had developed in the newly constructed right breast. That mastectomy was really easy – just on 24 hours in hospital and no pain at all. Didn’t like that “breast” anyway.

Another 18 months went by, then another recall after another mammogram. Another “area of concern”, another mastectomy. Yippee, no more mammograms! My surgeon removed 4 more lymph nodes and these also tested negative. At this time, I felt greatly relieved – nothing else could go wrong could it?

When we moved to Brisbane in 2000,I saw a Breast Surgeon for follow-up. I saw him once and he was very reassuring; so much time had passed since my initial diagnosis (8 years) and another 4 years since the last primary tumour, I had very little to worry about. So, no more thoughts about breast cancer.

DIAGNOSIS OF SECONDARIESI was running my own coffee shop in 2003 when I had ongoing problems with my back. As the pain was not constant and relatively well controlled with anti inflammatories and pain killers, I was not concerned. But I eventually went and had x-rays done. These, and consequent bone scans, showed extensive widespread skeletal metastases. There are also several small nodules in my lungs which may or may not be related to the cancer.

I sold my business in October, 2004 which was just as well because rising tumour markers indicated further progression so in January, 2005, I started IV chemo.

ABOUT ME I was born in New Zealand and came to Australia when I was 19. This was with the intention of stopping for a short visit, and then on to travel. But I met a man didn’t I!

ABOUT MY FAMILY I am now aged 47. I have been married to that same wonderful man, Tony, for just over 25 years. We have two terrific sons – Jarrod is 21 and lives in a unit in Teneriffe. Our younger son Alex is 17 (18 at the end of October) and still lives at home. He is studying a Diploma of Fine Arts.