How a 10-minute mammogram could save your life

I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. For some, 2019 brings new and exciting jobs, deals or career ventures. But for others, there is a battle that no one knows about.

The concept of work-life balance is just as important when battling a severe or chronic illness as it was over the Christmas holidays. If you are lucky enough as I am to have your employer's tireless support, it's possible to achieve a mutual understanding and great outcome for both parties.

Yesterday, I had my first chemo session for breast cancer.

Today, I'm back in the office.

Firstly, a shout out to Morgan Consulting and my caring, compassionate colleagues, co-workers and management. Their support has been overwhelming, and thanks to them I've managed to stay positive and go about my normal work - which I think is extremely important. I have been given the flexibility to take leave as necessary, work from home, and have a laptop to use if I need it – for which I am grateful.

The second reason I feel very passionate about sharing my battle is spurred on by the recent news on Channel 9 which highlighted that there could be over 1500 women who have breast cancer but don't know it.

Despite what you might think, it's not necessarily those of low socioeconomic status who are skipping regular screenings. According to the stats, busy, inner-city women including those living in Prahran, Albert Park and Melbourne CBD are falling below the average rate. Despite the fact that it only takes 10 minutes and is totally free!!

I had my screening done at the Rose Clinic inside David Jones in the Bourke Street Mall. The women are lovely and it's very quick and easy - not nearly as bad as I first perceived.

Having only turned 50 years old in March, it was my very first mammogram. As it turns out, I have a receptor called HER2 (human epidermal growth factor), which makes my cancer aggressive, so if I had waited to do this screening or didn't do it at all, my situation could have been a lot worse. It was picked up early, so my prognosis is very good.

We all think these things won't happen to us. But the reality is that they can, and while we can pretend that ignorance is bliss, the truth is that 1 in 3 people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. Early detection is key.

So if I can get at least 1 extra person to do the screening because of this post, then I'll consider my mission accomplished.

You can book by ringing BreastScreen Victoria on 13 20 50 or emailing them at info@breastscreen.org.au.