Tracey's Story

My name is Tracey. I have a wonderful husband and four boys – Jake, Tom, Samuel and Isaac. We run a full time business from home and, like most families these days, lead a very hectic and full on life. So life is pretty wonderful, but for a little while there, things were quite grim. This is my story …

One of the hardest things my husband Grahame ever had to tell me was that I had breast cancer. I was 36 years old at the time. We were not sat down or let down lightly – Grahame received a phone call from the doctor and then had to pass the news onto me.

On that day, I had an interview with Samuel’s preschool. They told me he was progressing beautifully and that he was a lovely child. I came home feeling elated and proud, to find Grahame dithering around in the kitchen looking preoccupied. I asked him what he was up to and started to brag about Samuel, but he didn’t seem to be listening – he just came out and said "The doctor rang".

The moment he said this, I knew. I began to shake physically, my hands and my body. "What is it? Tell me", I asked him. "What can I say", he replied, "you have breast cancer".

From that moment, our lives went into a total spin. The first thing I did was panic. I wanted to be treated immediately to get the cancer out as quickly as possible – that was my first mistake.

My GP referred me to a doctor who advised me to have a lumpectomy. He thought it better to conserve the breast and at the time, so did I (another mistake). The results following the surgery showed that the cancer was invasive, and the doctor thought he would remove just a little bit more, in the hope of avoiding a mastectomy. At this point, I said, "I need to take control. I need to ask more questions and I need a second opinion".

So the reading and research began (something I should have done from the very start). The first thing I realised was that I had time ... time to make choices, and that all was not going to end the next day.

I contacted the NSW Breast Centre and spoke to different women who had been in my situation – that in itself was a comfort. In the meantime, an acquaintance (now a very good friend) phoned and gave me some of the best advice I was to receive.

She said "You need a breast specialist and you need to be in a hospital where a team can work with you". She pushed me in to get a consultation straight away at the Westmead Breast Centre. I had a wonderful consultation that lasted three hours. I think I destroyed the entire schedule that day, yet everyone kept on smiling.

My doctor ordered more tests and discovered the lump was a lot bigger than I had first thought. The best thing to do from that point was to have a mastectomy. I felt a sense of relief – because I knew in my heart that this should have been done from the start.

After having surgery, the results came back and they found I had a 7-cm tumour and the cancer had spread to my glands. However, I was constantly reassured that it could be dealt with and I felt I was in control mainly because I was so well informed.

My surgeon, radiologist and oncologist worked together with my husband and me to create a specific treatment plan for me. For the next seven months, I was to be treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It was a hard slog, but not a lone slog.

I still wonder what was worse, losing my hair or losing my breast – I have since discovered that your hair grows back and you can have a breast reconstruction if you wish.

When my hair started to fall out, I got a friend to bring her clippers and give me a No.1. It wasn’t the best sight, but it made me feel real good at the time.

I tried to smile at all times and kept thinking that I had to control it, I couldn’t let it control me! Besides, I only had to look at my beautiful boys’ faces to realise I had too much to live for. I tried never to listen to sad stories, but focused on the positive ones with happy endings.

The support I received from my wonderful family, friends and the Breast Centre got me to where I am today. I look back over the last two years and feel I have grown and changed in many positive ways

My husband, my boys, my family and friends who shared this with me, have all come to love life just that little bit more.