Last year, Vanda was showering when she felt a lump in her breast. Even as a typically non-catastrophising person, she knew it was cause for concern. 2 days later, Vanda had an appointment at a breast clinic. By midday, the clinic confirmed it was breast cancer and by 6pm, the biopsy found multiple tumours.
Vanda underwent a double mastectomy with full skin preserving reconstruction. With the cancer reaching her sentinel node, affecting 3 lymph nodes, she had 6 drains put in. Despite this, within a couple of days, Vanda was almost back to her usual self - walking, laughing, and eating.
During her diagnosis and treatment, Vanda’s life changed drastically. She found making decisions about what procedure and team to go with taxing and she was staggered by how quickly she’d lost her confidence to go back to the workforce. Her four kids reacted differently, and Vanda quickly found that the less she panicked, the less everyone else did too. Today, Vanda attributes her courage and strength to her support network, and from a sheer need to get it done, to recover.