A 51-year-old West London girl who wound up living in Orange married to a man from Dubbo, Sarah McIntosh was first diagnosed with breast cancer aged 34.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"It was very shocking; you're bulletproof at 34," she said, recalling the moment she was given the news.
"I had some minor surgery and radiotherapy and pretty much got on with my life."
Top of the to-do list were to marry her man Peter, and start a family.
"The first thing I thought was that I would never have a baby," she said.
"There'd never been any rush on it, and all of a sudden it became very important."
Mrs McIntosh said she was forced to wait three years due to "risk factors during pregnancy being so high".
The couple have a 14-year-old daughter.
Over the years Mrs McIntosh was checked regularly, and then in 2019 her world crumbled.
"I found a lump, and I just knew. My heart sank.
"This time around we were hoping it was similar to last time, but unfortunately it was bigger and had spread to lymph nodes, and that meant much more treatment; because it was the second time around they said 'We've just got to throw everything at you, so get ready'."
A mastectomy in September was followed by six months of chemo, then six weeks of radiation in May and June last year.
"As far as I know, I'm cancer-free," she said. "Pretty much back to normal."
Asked about what she missed most during the extended period of treatment, she said: "Being a mum. I couldn't do it, i couldn't cook dinners, I couldn't even go near food, and I was wrecked by dinner time.
"I was just so tired and couldn't fulfill that role properly at all."
Mrs McIntosh is inviting people to sign up, fund raise and then join her at Lake Canobolas on May 9 for the 24th Mother's Day Classic, a walk-cum-fun run that raises funds for breast cancer research.
Mother's Day Classic CEO Zara Lawless said the first 23 Mother's Day Classics had raised about $38 million for the National Breast Cancer Fund.
"It's not just a fun run and walk, it's a lot more than a successful fundraiser," she said.
"It really is a community movement of people who unite all over Australia to celebrate and remember those who have been touched by breast cancer."
Register at mothersdayclassic.com.au.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
HAVE YOUR SAY
Send us a letter to the editor using the form below ...
