Gabrielle Staniforth and her family have been through their fair share of physical, mental and emotional battles over the years but, after coming out the other side, the Orange GP can't help but feel a sense of achievement.
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But ask the 39-year-old what she's the most proud of and the answer's simple - 'being a mum'.
Her kids Mila and Felix make all those battles worth it, from the years of study, internships and residencies to the personal struggles too, including both of husband Nigel's battles with testicular cancer and their difficulties conceiving.
It's all taken a toll but it adds up to a pretty inspirational walk through life so far too, not that she wanted to label it as such. It is partly why she's linked with Charles Sturt to help mould the university's first cohort of medical students though.
The degrees and diplomas are great, but it's being able to come out on top after personal struggles that I'm really proud of.
- Dr Gabrielle Staniforth
"The degrees and diplomas are great, but it's being able to come out on top after personal struggles that I'm really proud of, the thing I'm most proud of is definitely being a mum," she said, also highlighting the fur babies, dogs Donatello and Sienna.
"I'm really excited to be part of the university, it's all about teaching them how to be reflective and how to maintain their own identity as they become a doctor, with a focus on behaving ethically too. Hopefully I can make a difference to their whole medical experience."
Making a difference is what Dr Staniforth's career has revolved around since beginning as a nurse then moving into medicine, she's now firmly established at Bloomfield Medical Group.
It's a far cry from the young woman who started a Liberal Studies degree because, simply, she 'got the marks to get into that course'.
"It was during my years as a nurse that I began thinking about doing medicine, I felt like I could be that person making the decisions, making the calls," she said.
"I needed to learn more though and everyone around me - my parents, Nigel - encouraged me, they could see I was frustrated not being able to move much in the nursing space.
"I do miss being a nurse sometimes, I loved spending time with my patients and getting to know them. I do love being a doctor though, and being a GP I do get to create those relationships and care for patients in different ways which is really satisfying.
"Medicine has been really tough at times though. I graduated at 30 and after that there's years of internships, residencies, exams, specialist training, I had to go through IVF at the same time to have a family.
"Then last year we obviously had the news of Nigel's second diagnosis, so there's certainly been some tough times over the years, but I think that's what has made it almost a natural path into mental health.
"I've become more passionate about it because of my own struggles."
So much so, Dr Staniforth is the key speaker at a Central West Women's Forum Leadership Series seminar on the topic next month, at Quest Apartments.
"I know how important it is to have someone to listen to and I know first-hand what can help make things better, it's just a longer and more difficult road than some other things," she said.
"I'm planning to make it practical and speak about both mental health and mental illness, they are different things so it will be about optimising mental health to set ourselves up to handle bad situations whether you have a mental illness or not."
Never one to rest on her laurels, Dr Staniforth is still continuing to study herself with a number of personal goals she wants to tick off soon as well - the Kokoda Trail, for one.
"I'm doing a course to be able to prescribe for HIV, I'm interested in sexual health so I'm doing more in that field. Otherwise, it's just enjoying life. I guess I'll need to support Nigel through another rugby season with Emus as well," she laughed.
"He's as fit as I've seen him though, so I'll always encourage him to play while he still can. He's a real inspiration to for me, the way he's dealt with everything and the way he looks at life.
"I really admire his ability to always be thankful for what we have, which is two beautiful kids and the life we've built, rather than what we don't, or what we could have."
Dr Staniforth's 'Mental Health - Back To Basics' seminar for the Central West Women's Forum Leadership Series is on April 17 at Quest Apartments, from 6pm. It costs $35 per person and bookings can be made at trybooking.com/BPSHW.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
