Hi! My name is Jo and I am a resident at Minto Gardens Retirement Village.
When I was still working, I had been involved in fundraising events in coordination with The Cancer Council. We organised fun activities such as picnics, stalls, luncheons and dance in support of events like Pink Ribbon Day and Biggest Morning Tea.
One of the reasons I got involved was to honour members of the Macarthur Filipino Women Support Group who had been survivors of breast cancer. Through shared experiences with other women, discussions and ideas were tabled as to how to support women in a similar situation and alleviate their painful experiences.
The group crafted breast pillows which were donated to the Cancer Unit of Campbelltown Hospital. We run community education programs on breast cancer and to raise awareness for prevention.
Never did I realise the fear of hearing the much-dreaded C word from a specialist, after an abnormal result from a routine check-up. It was an agonizing moment, and I temporarily switched off, however short-lived it was. After I pulled myself together and gathered composure, being a woman of faith as well as an optimist, I accepted my fate and surrendered my agony to Jesus.
Had I not been diligent in my regular check-ups, when I receive the reminder letters from Breast Screen NSW, I could have gone through much worse. The early detection of my breast cancer and the immediate surgery saved me a lot of misery. After the operation, I didn’t have to go through anything else-not even a single pill.
I thank God for the professionals and the availability of FREE mammogram and support services for women in this country.
So, ladies, I encourage you, to go for your routine mammograms, don’t throw those reminder letters in the bin because EARLY DETECTION is better than treatment, because we know we don’t have a cure yet.
