The Uniboober

This is my friend Lauretta making her 75th donation of blood. Lauretta and I have known each other for 20 years, we first met when she was my lecturer at university on the Fraser Coast. Turns out she wasn’t only a master at teaching Public Relations, she also happened to be married to my favourite teacher from high school. The rest as they say is history and she is now among my most treasured friends.  Lauretta is a regular blood donor and plasma donor. Recently she and I have struck up an arrangement where she has committed to four donations a year, for the next five years, to replace the blood donations I am now unable to give because of my breast cancer diagnosis.  In regards to my blood donations, the timing of my breast cancer diagnosis was shitty because only months prior I had begun to donate blood again after a decade-long hiatus caused by irrational fear and anxiety about the process. I was annoyed because I felt like I was once more getting comfortable w...

4 October 2019 Today's radiation "measurement and marking" appointment went well with my gorgeous radiation oncologist Dr Debra Furniss from GenesisCare  in Buderim.  I'm sharing this radiation prepping experience in case it helps you, or someone you know, who is going to have radiation for breast cancer.  The sexy striped gown made me feel like a warrior queen and to top it off, underneath I was sporting my #FuckCancer undies...hand sewn by my awesome friend Robyn.  The measurement procedure itself was not too daunting and didn't last long but as I mentioned, I'm not a fan of medical equipment or medical machines that make noises.  I laid down in the CT scanner tunnel with arms extended above my head. My oncology radiologist Dr Furniss marked up my skin to outline the area to be targeted with the radiation x-rays . The radiation nurses then took CT scans of my chest area which took around 3 minutes of lying still while I wa...

2 October 2019 Attention, boob owners everywhere! Yeah, yeah we know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone is sharing soft pink ribbon posts and affirmations about being “breast aware”.  But guess what? It’s not enough!  Have a look at these photos, look closely at my mastectomy scar and you’ll see why.  In 2019, it is estimated that 19,371 Australian women and 164 Australian men will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s an average of 53 diagnoses each day and on Thursday 11 April this year, I was one of those 53 people.  Breast cancer awareness is not about “checking your breasts” or performing a monthly self-examination of your boobs. Not even your GP or health professional can perform a manual breast examination and tell for certain that you don’t have breast cancer.  I’ll explain why: Some breast cancers are not able to be detected by feeling lumps or seeing external skin changes. The type of breast cancer ...

1 October 2019 These warrior women from SCU Private Hospital 's oncology unit came into my life five months ago to help me kick cancer to the curb - Shelley, Hannah, Donna, Lou and the absent Emma (not pictured because she's in labour having a baby today!).  I entered into chemotherapy treatment as an anxious and hesitant breast cancer patient. I was terrified of medical procedures and was freaking out about the unknown of what lay ahead. This team of oncology nurses showed patience, understanding, empathy, respect, professionalism and kindness...as well as administering and managing my chemotherapy treatment.  They took my phone calls back in the early days of the Red Devil (doxorubicin) when I lamented about feeling like an anaemic, geriatric sloth after being smashed by severe fatigue. They took my calls about sleepless nights and major anxiety, encouraging me to take the prescribed Lorazepam - it was indeed better than diamonds and became this girl's new ...

1 October 2019 Today is my final chemotherapy treatment. Five months of cytotoxic drugs pumped into my body. Why? Because the DCIS cancer in my right breast had escaped the milk ducts and wandered off to check out my lymph nodes. Cheeky little fucker!  Today's final chemo warrior vibes were supported by my friend Robyn's handmade  #FuckCancer  nickers (cheers, Rob!).    These photos below show the external changes from first day of chemo and last day of chemo.

25 September 2019 Today I swam 1km (with flippers). It felt good to achieve this physical milestone despite taking 45 minutes. I even snuck in some freestyle, albeit it was very slow and won't be helping me win a gold medal any time soon. Physical activity has been great for my mental well being during chemotherapy treatment.  If I can do it, anybody can do it! (This small feat was achieved with the support of my TruLife "Active Flow" breast form and Amoena pocketed swimwear , tailored for women who have undergone mastectomy surgery)

24 September 2019 These heartwarming sunflowers were from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Greg and Melanie. They came to visit us and we were out and about, so when I arrived home these beauties were there to greet me. So thoughtful and kind!  I wanted to share the brightness and happiness of these stunning flowers so I took them along to my second-last chemo session today. I've left them in the oncology day unit where I receive my cancer treatment and I hope they bring a smile to the faces of others, like they did for me.  The lovely vase was a wedding gift from my husband's cousin Nikki and she was thrilled to know that it too was receiving compliments from patients and visitors.  Some people believe that giving flowers is a waste of money but I say poo to those haters. That bunch of flowers you give somebody might be the one bright thing that they need in their life amongst a week of sadness, illness or downright low points.  One of my special ...