Denise

DENISE

Denise  Breast Cancer Survivor

There's no pay, no holidays, no superannuation or "time out" for carers. As Denise well knows, having a breast cancer diagnosis on top of being a carer is even trickier.

After finding a lump in the shower, I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer on Christmas Eve in 2010.

Looking back, I accepted my diagnosis as a "natural progression", or others might call it an unlucky ticket in the genetic lottery. My maternal grandmother and sister both died from breast cancer – my sister passed away in 1991 two days before her 46th birthday.

Whilst some cancer patients have husbands and kids to care for throughout their treatment, I didn't. But I did have an ageing Dad and that was my main concern. At the time of my diagnosis, Dad was 91 and I was frequently travelling between his place on the Coast and my place in Lithgow. He was starting to slow down as he was losing confidence in his cochlear implant. He also had heart and lung problems, so I was frequently driving to Dad's many medical appointments.

Nevertheless, many described him as a spritely nonagenarian and he really was because he came to all my appointments with me. 

As the months went on, having a 91-year-old father who was declining in health was practically a full-time job of cooking, mowing lawns and running two households. And by the time I was fit for long-distance travel Dad wasn't, so I moved to the Coast permanently.

Since Dad's recent passing (he was 97), I went through his papers and unearthed his diary for 2011. He had noted on some occasions that I was "tired" after chemo. Though, I can only remember one occasion where I asked him to get a meal for himself.

During treatment, I didn't go into panic mode or anything like that. Maybe the prayers from the ladies at church (some of whom are breast cancer survivors themselves) helped me stay calm. Life just carried on as before with a few more appointments - and this time they were mine." 


Denise's Motto: "Just accept what needs doing and do it."


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