Chairperson of the Corowa Rutherglen Relay For Life, Julie Bartlett is one of those brave fighters.
Due to breast cancer being hereditary in her family, Ms Bartlett immediately went to see a doctor after noticing an unusual lump in her breast back in 2011.
“My grandmother passed away from breast cancer when she was in her early 40s so I regularly had mammograms,” she said.
“What started out as just a little bit of skin thickening had quickly turned into a lump and I knew something wasn’t right.”
Julie was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and underwent a Lumpectomy as well as radiation and hormone treatment to eradicate the cancer.
The Balldale resident said that there was a lot that affected her both physically and emotionally throughout her early battles, but the worst part was losing her hair.
“I lost my hair with the chemotherapy, and I know it sounds vain but that really affected me.
“When I looked at myself in the mirror I looked at myself completely differently.”
After treatment she was given the all clear but at the end of 2017 it was discovered by doctors that the cancer had come back, and had moved to stage 4 and had spread to the bones.
In addition to the cancer spreading to my ribs and sternum, in May we found that it had also spread to my liver, and now in August we’ve found that it has spread to my skull, multiple ribs, my spine and pelvis.
“I’m currently having radiation on my spine.”
Ms Bartlett laments that she lives with fear every day that something could happen but says that talking about her illness is the best way for her to cope.
“Some days it’s really hard to be positive but being a part of a couple of support groups really helps because you’re talking to people who are going through the same thing.
Julie attributes her own battle, along with the affect the disease continues to have on the entire community, as the crux of her motivation to bring the Relay For Life to Corowa and Rutherglen.
“I thought it would be something good for the community and myself – the community has lost so many people to cancer, particularly over the last three to six months,” she said.
The Relay For Life will have its official Corowa launch at the 2019 Christmas Festival in Sanger Street this Friday, November 29.
People can register their team, get information, buy a cup cake (donated by Corowa CWA), apply free sunscreen, get their hair sprayed, buy merchandise, donate spare coins or speak about cancer.
D&M Scrap Metal have stepped up to support the Corowa Rutherglen Relay For Life by urging people to recycle their cans at the Corowa scrap metal business, with proceeds going directly to the charity.
The Relay For Life will be held on Saturday, March 21 at John Foord Oval, 10am – 10pm.
All proceeds raised go to the research, support and advocacy work of Cancer Council NSW.
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