A mum’s cancer message

At the beginning of this year Kirsten Bunworth felt like life could not get much better.

The mum-of-two was about to move into her newly-built dream home at Torquay and, together with hubby Brad, was over the moon at their decision to try for a third child.

But all that changed on February 24 when she received a heartbreaking diagnosis.

Kirsten, a nurse, had some routine health checks before trying to get pregnant, including a blood test and checking on a tiny lump she had noticed in her breast.

“It was a very small lump underneath my breast and I wasn’t at all concerned about it,” the 35-year-old explains.

“I thought I’d get it checked just to be safe because I would hate to be pregnant and then discover that it was something.

“But I really wasn’t worried.”

The doctor sent her for an ultrasound and a biopsy was taken.

It was when the GP started reading through her report that Kirsten realised something was wrong.

“I saw that his face changed and he said ‘I’m going to print this up’ and then I knew and I started crying,” she recalls.

“Because I’m a nurse he put it in front of me and I knew exactly where to read.

“All I saw in bold writing was ‘invasive carcinoma’.

“That was probably the worst moment. I was upset, scared and you immediately think ‘I’ve got cancer, has it spread anywhere else?’.

“Then you start panicking.”

Kirsten says she knew it was an aggressive form of cancer and her mind quickly turned to her family – daughter Ivy, 6, and three-year-old son Leo – and the baby she was hoping to have.

“I was grieving for two things,” she says, before pausing as the emotion of that memory takes hold.

“I was scared and then I was upset because I couldn’t have a baby.”

The following day Kirsten met with Geelong-based surgeon Dr Eva Koo and her mindset became more positive as they mapped out a treatment plan and a scan revealed the cancer had not spread.

Her exact diagnosis was triple negative breast cancer and it was discovered she carries the BRCA1 gene, which means there is a high risk of the cancer returning.

She has now completed her chemotherapy and will undergo a double mastectomy in September followed by five weeks of radiotherapy. Her ovaries will also need to be removed before she turns 40.

It is a lot to take in but Kirsten is tackling it with her usual “glass half-full” outlook.

“I needed to fight hard and be strong for the kids – I didn’t want to be crying all the time and have it effect their lives,” she says.

“I’m a positive, happy person so it’s easy for me to switch into that mode but I’m not denying there were some tough times.”

Kirsten insists she is not brave or inspirational and believes her job in health care helped her to put things into perspective.

“I’ve seen people at their lowest and I think everyone has struggles in life,” she says.

“I’m so lucky in every other way and this is just something that’s happened to me, just a little path in my life.

“Lots of people have it a lot worse than me – that’s just how I think.”

Cancer Council Victoria statistics show that each year, on average, 182 Surf Coast Shire residents are diagnosed with cancer.

Thankfully for Kirsten, post-chemotherapy tests last week revealed she is cancer-free.

She agreed to tell her story in the lead-up to Daffodil Day, which raises funds for life-saving cancer research.

“Research and awareness are so important and without it we would not be where we are today with treatment and survival rates.

“So, anything like Daffodil Day that creates awareness and encourages donation is a wonderful thing.”
Kirsten also wants to encourage other women to know their bodies and get checked if they find anything suspicious.

“My message is to check your boobs! Don’t ignore anything because you just never know.”

As for her own cancer journey, Kirsten says the big lesson is that life doesn’t care about your plans and it can change in a moment.

“I’m just so happy to be okay and it’s made me more grateful for what I have,” she says.

“It sounds cliched, I know, but I just want to be a good person, live the best life I can, do what makes me happy and create the best life for our kids.

“I tend to think everything happens for a reason so perhaps that thought of having a third baby actually saved my life.”

Daffodil Day is Friday, August 28. To donate visit daffodilday.com.au.