I know people want to help and it comes from their best place. But for me, I just wanted them to not assume or try and fix anything, just be present and listen. I always say, if you can offer practical support, even if it’s not taken up, I’m sure it would be appreciated.

People shouldn’t try to make assumptions about another person’s diagnosis. Often people when they find out I’ve had breast cancer, they say “oh that’s the good one”.

There is no good cancer. Everyone’s journeys are different.

The diagnosis

I had just been through a relationship breakdown and lost weight. That’s when I felt a lump on the underside of my left breast and immediately made an appointment with my GP who referred me for a mammogram and ultrasound.

The mammogram came up clear and I had to push for the ultrasound, because there was a lump and my doctor had requested both tests. I’m so glad I did because that potentially saved my life.

Then following my biopsy, I got the news I’ll never forget. My doctor said: “It’s not the news we wanted. You have breast cancer.”

There was no history of breast cancer in my family and I was just 39-years-old at the time. It’s been a wake-up call for a lot of people in my family and they’re now getting checked on a regular basis.

If you do have breast cancer symptoms and you’re not getting an answer, fight for yourself or get a second opinion. You know your own body and if something’s not right.

The treatment

Fortunately, I was in a town with a great doctor and team behind me. The McGrath Breast Cancer nurse came to all of my appointments and was able to translate the clinical words because my head was spinning.

I had a lumpectomy and lymph nodes removed, followed by six weeks of radiation therapy and ten years of medication, which I’m still on, but I’m still here and living life the best way I can.

I spoke with the Bupa dieticians not long after I was diagnosed, because I wanted to be the best version of myself throughout all of this. It’s very easy to lose your appetite and they were really helpful and encouraged me to eat small, frequent meals – which I still do.

Everyone’s cancer journey is different

The type of breast cancer I had means I will never be in remission. While there’s no evidence of disease, it does mean ongoing scans and tests that mean a lot of anxiety. I am all over the place in the days leading up to them and then the wait for results feels like forever. When something goes wrong with my body, like my first frozen shoulder, which basically meant my shoulder was incredibly painful and I wasn’t able to move it. So, my first thought was is the cancer back?

I think a lot of people assume if you’ve finished your active treatment that you’re not a cancer patient anymore. I’ll be a cancer patient, in one form or another, for the rest of my life.

What you see in front of you isn’t always what’s happening behind closed doors. I put on a smiling face but sometimes, I’m just exhausted and fatigue is really a silent disability that you can’t see.

I don’t pretend that mine was an easy one. I was very fortunate not to need chemotherapy, but the radiation therapy burnt me internally which left me with heart issues.

I’m really back into my fitness and I am working with a physio each week to rebuild muscles. I also find solace in playing my bass trombone in a band. When things get down, I play my music and it’s a non-negotiable.

“I have worked at Eastwood for nearly 6 years and as I’m a nurse, I regularly check my body for anything irregular but late last year, I found a lump, had a mammogram and was kept in the hospital for a double mastectomy.”

In a brave leap of faith, the enrolled nurse announced her breast cancer diagnosis to colleagues who leaped at the opportunity to support her in every way they could.

“I have been through six rounds of chemotherapy and I am extremely thankful to the staff and residents for being there when I needed them most,” she said.

Despite the odds, Ms Keller is driven to beat the cancer; a disease which will occur in one out of 8 women by age 85 and accounts for approximately 28.4 percent of all new cancers in Australian women.

“I believe I’m going to make a full recovery but the doctors are making sure. It is my personal goal to be back at work by the 30^th of September.”

With candour and positivity, friend and colleague Gabrielle O'Kelly said that they held a ‘shave off’ fundraiser at the home which assisted in collectively raising $2000 to be donated to Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Oncology Unit. This money has been transferred into gift vouchers for local cancer patients.

“Nicky and I have been working together since 2012. She has become like a second mum to me and treats me like her daughter. Everyone in the home has given all they can to help her get back on her feet,” Ms O’Kelly said.

“I got chatting to her when she was diagnosed with cancer and made a promise that both my eight year old son Lochie and I would shave our heads in solidarity.”

“I have been to every scan, appointment, chemo session and even her biopsy. I just felt like it was the right thing to do,” she said.

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