KATHY WELLS SHARES HER NEW PERSPECTIVE My Story:
BCNA Board for their tremendous support following my diagnosis. It gives an added perspective to our work and a real passion to do whatever we can to support others who are diagnosed.
me back to bed after my morning shower because all my energy had been zapped. Thank goodness for family and friends. I loved getting the text message that someone was on their way to drop a meal at my door. My oncologist recommended I see an exercise physiologist to help tackle the fatigue, and I looked forward to it each week. I met a wonderful group of women at those classes and most of us are still going three years later. I had three nights in hospital between my AC and taxane chemotherapy regimens, with an infection and very low blood pressure. My wonderful medical oncologist visited me every day and apologised for putting me there! Her awful chemo did the trick however, and I was very lucky to have no cancer left when I got to surgery. Unfortunately, I developed permanent peripheral neuropathy in my fingers and feet from the paclitaxel chemo. I’m now on medication and, while it doesn’t ease the neuropathy completely, I have learned to live with it. I didn’t realise how much my long and lonely year of treatment had affected me until I left my last radiotherapy session. I sat in the car and burst into tears. While I have not made any drastic changes to my life, I made a deliberate decision to choose happiness. Now I say yes more often. I used my long service leave for a trip to Europe. I’ve kept a shorter hairstyle that I decided I liked when my hair was growing back after chemo. Today I feel the best I have in years. I’m one of seven women working at BCNA who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. I am thankful to CEO Kirsten Pilatti and the
THINGS I HAVE LEARNT
Do your own breast checks between regular breast screens and see your GP if there are any changes. Find a treating team you like and trust. Listen to your body— stay in bed longer or have a quiet day in front of the tv. Try to get out at least once every day—seeing the green trees and sunshine lifts your mood. If you can afford it, find an accredited exercise physiologist who manages people with cancer. Say no to things. Small things can make a big difference—a good friend sent me a red heart emoji every morning just to let me know she was thinking of me (and often still does).
K athy, BCNA Chief of Staff
I was diagnosed with an aggressive triple negative breast cancer 15 years after starting work at BCNA. While it seemed ironic, why not me? I noticed a flat, jelly-like disc in my breast nine months after my last breast screen. I went to my GP and was diagnosed in January 2021. Melbourne’s lockdown made it difficult not being able to see people through much of my treatment, but my work put me in the fortunate position of knowing what to expect. Nevertheless, I joined BCNA’s Online Network for helpful advice. I realised there was not a lot of information on triple negative breast cancer, so we wrote an information page in My Journey and the article Finding breast cancer information and support online —so people don’t have to plough through unreliable or scary information. I had five months of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy before surgery), then breast conserving surgery, and four weeks of radiotherapy. The fatigue was sometimes debilitating—sending
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April 2024 | Issue 97
Breast Cancer Network Australia
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