“You have breast cancer.”
Each year, four words change the lives of 13 000 Australian women.
For Josie Dietrich, of Herston, those words brought back devastating memories of her mother’s 10-year battle with breast cancer, which she lost on Christmas Day 2005.
They also prompted fears about whether she would see her 10-month old son, Felix, grow up.
“Getting breast cancer was horrific. Up until that moment, I was convinced I wouldn’t get cancer because my mother was the first person in her family to have the disease,” Josie, 36, said.
But on 15 May 2009 an annual check up revealed a lump.
Doctors diagnosed a 10.5mm tumour in her right breast and a 4mm tumour in one of her lymph nodes.
Josie’s treatment was aggressive—an immediate lumpectomy, the removal of nine lymph nodes, chemotherapy and then a double mastectomy.
“The double mastectomy was completely my choice; I wasn’t advised to have it but I wanted it for my own piece of mind,” the young mum said.
Josie credits her family, friends and a wig dubbed `Tiara’ for helping her through the dark days of chemotherapy.
“I had long hair, almost down to my waist and as a way of preparing for my chemotherapy I had it cut into a funky short haircut the week before treatment started. Within weeks of my first chemo treatment it started to fall out so I shaved off what was left. I needed to take control,” she said.
“My hair was a huge part of my identity so when I lost that, I lost part of my femininity and with both my breasts removed, I felt like all of my feminine parts had gone.”
`Tiara’, a short dark wig, offered Josie a chance at normality which she desperately craved in between chemotherapy appointments.
“I didn’t want to look like a cancer patient all the time and have people stare at me when I went out. I just wanted to have some normality.”
With chemotherapy complete, Josie underwent a double breast reconstruction.
“It was really important for me to get my breasts back,” she said. ”I felt so good after they were taken away because the threat to kill me was gone with them but then it was great to have the reconstruction done. I felt in balance again.”
Josie felt so good that within weeks of her last chemotherapy session, she was trekking through New Zealand with Felix and her partner Brett.
“I felt really good, really quickly. We considered the trip our victory lap... I needed some beauty after a really dark period.”
While early detection and medical advancements have resulted in a higher survival rate for those diagnosed with breast cancer, the road to physical and mental recovery is still long and often lonely. chicks in pink is dedicated to raise money for breast cancer support, care, treatment and research at Mater.
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