"I got lucky – my symptoms meant early detection, so no further treatment after surgery. My real strength came from my family, friends, and community - my support network.

If you’re going on this journey, let people in. They care, and they want to help. Most importantly, stay diligent with your health checks, keep your sense of humour, and remember you’re never alone!"

"It gets better! And better and better and better! And that’s coming from someone with stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Do what you have to do to get through it, but know that you will. The physical side effects won’t stick around forever but make sure you look after the emotional side of things. Seek help at the ‘end’ of active treatment for the thoughts that will no doubt takeover your mind at various points in time because what’s the point in fighting this disease just to be paralysed by anxiety at the end of it all?"

"I learnt there were so many types of breast cancer and thanks to all the efforts of doctors and health care workers and scientific research there are subsequent highly targeted treatments to get the best possible outcome for the individual. I felt my fear subside knowing I had amazing people behind me making decisions and steering me to decision making. I found confidence and hope at a time I didn’t think would be possible. 

I still feel that support every day and that team, in any format is always there and always will be."

"In the words of Jessie J “cancer has robbed me of memories with my boy”. There’s things I can’t do that I used to be able too. We were a hyper and active team and now he has to have a slowed down version of me. He’s old enough that he will remember this time in his life but too young to fully understand it. It’s hard when you just don’t have that energy like you used too. Your life changes completely in an instant and you’re just praying that it will be the same again one day."

"Breast cancer has a high survival rate because medical science continues to make advancements early detection and treatments. Continuing to fund research, development and trials is vital. A misconception is that all breast cancers are the same, they are not and there are even rare ones like Occult that do not have a lump to find."

"You are inherently strong, like you have no idea. You'll have good days and you'll have bad days. Rest when you need to. Lean on your village, and let them help. ask friends to organise a meal train. The last thing you feel like doing during chemo is cooking or planning meals, and taking that off the whole family's plate makes a real difference.

The hardest part for me wasn't treatment - it is trying to return to "normal" life. I wish someone had told me that going in. I'm not back to normal, and I don't think I will be. I'm still figuring out who I am now, and what my limits are. As for where I found the strength - honestly, I'm not sure I "found" it so much as I didn't have another option. My kids gave me a reason to keep going on the days I didn't want to, and my village carried me through the rest."

"I don’t think I woke up every morning feeling courageous or strong. There were plenty of days when I was scared, exhausted, angry or completely over it. You don’t have to get through six months of treatment today. You have to get through today. Sometimes you only have to get through the next appointment, the next scan, the next hour. Ask for help. Let people show up for you. Most importantly, don’t put pressure on yourself to turn cancer into some profound life lesson while you’re in the middle of surviving it. I would never have chosen what happened to me. But I do get to choose what I do with my life now. And for me, that has been about starting small. One appointment. One walk. One trip. One plan. One slightly scary thing. Then another. That’s how I found my way through it and I think that’s how I’m finding my way back too. ❤️"

"I was 32. I had a one-year-old. No family history. I was working, exercising and living a normal life but I somehow got cancer. I didn’t realise it was so prevalant, one in seven aussie women.

My biggest piece of advice would be: take it one step at a time. When you're first diagnosed, it's very easy to look at the entire journey ahead and feel completely overwhelmed. I remember thinking, "How am I possibly going to get through all of this?" You don't have to. You just have to get through today. And don't be afraid to ask for help. Let people cook for you. Let them look after
your kids. Let them drive you to appointments. Let them sit with you when you're scared. This is the one time to call in the favours.

Ultimately, I think that's where I've found my strength: not in pretending cancer didn't break me, but in realising that it didn't get to define the rest of my life."

"The impact is profound and difficult.  Every day I struggle with uncertainty around the future.  It is difficult to make plans for holidays or catch-ups with friends and family more than a few weeks out as I don’t know if I will feel well enough and still be on the same treatment with manageable side effects. 

It is so important to have friends and family who check in, keep you grounded, and offer fun distractions. I’m very close to my sister and sister-in-law, and I’m lucky to have an amazing group of local mums who keep me busy with coffee catch-ups, mahjong, and pickleball. They are all coming to the SBCF lunch to support me. Some mornings, I would not get out of bed without them encouraging me to leave the house."

"It pulls your life into focus and makes you realise pretty quickly what’s important and what’s not. It made me more mindful of the stuff that is going to get me stressed. And how to say ‘no’ (except to SBCF!)

Don’t sit on the couch the whole time. Try and keep doing all the stuff you enjoy. Yes, you have no energy and feel like shit but you will be surprised by the people around you who will step up and give you the support, understanding and encouragement you need."