Come together to boot breast cancer

By the age of 85 one in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with a form of cancer.

With such staggering numbers the disease can seem impersonal and too much to think about, until it affects someone you love.

In April this year Darlene Gray was diagnosed with stage three aggressive breast cancer, and within two weeks she had surgery.

Ten days later she needed a second surgery to remove the underarm lymph nodes, and has been undergoing chemotherapy since then, as well as hormone treatment starting in a few weeks and radiation in the new year.

You would expect this sudden shock to dishearten Darlene and her family, but according to daughter Kristy Wallace this is simply not the case.

“There have been very few tears shed or sad moments,” Kristy said.

“In fact we have spent a lot of time laughing and giving each other a hard time- this apparently is how our family gets through tough times!”

Darlene agrees there’s no time for feeling sorry for herself.

“At first it was a shock, everything happened so fast, but you just have to keep riding,” Darlene said.

“I’m still on that horse and I’m not getting knocked off!”

Darlene found the lump herself and had never had a mammogram before, and she now urges all women to have one by the age of 40.

Whilst her cancer is very aggressive she was apparently lucky, with her oncologist calling it “the best of the worst” at the time she managed to catch it.

It was doubling in size every two to three months and could easily have grown in a more dangerous direction that she may not have been able to detect herself until it was too late.

She also feels lucky to have access to the best medical care in Wagga, and a supportive network including family, friends, and her nurse Nikki from the McGrath Foundation, who calls almost every day.

Darlene endeavours to keep life as normal as possible, still assisting husband Peter with their farrier business, foaling two mares so far this season, and toiling in the garden.

She’s careful to avoid bacterial infection though as this week marks the halfway point of six months of chemotherapy.

Kristy explains that while it has been a tough year for everyone involved, and there is still a while to go with Darlene’s treatment, they consider this less a journey and more a “deviation off the path for a while.”

Her mother’s strength and determination inspired Kristy to do something to help, and out of the desire to try something a little obscure and out-there to raise money, Bootcamp 4 Breastcancer was born.

Kicking off at 7am sharp on Saturday, October 11, men and women of all ages are invited to Nicholson Park for not just exercise but also a BBQ breakfast, coffee, and prizes for bra decorating, tyre flipping, and other unique categories.

People will also be able to personalise a helium balloon for a gold coin donation, and the balloons will be released at 6.55am with a minute of silence in memory of those who have lost their lives to cancer.

Registration for the actual boot camp is $30 and restricted to those aged 16 and over, and all the money raised will go to Cootamundra Can Assist.

Whilst breast cancer is the inspiration for the event, those familiar with Can Assist will know the organisation provides invaluable support for all cancer victims and their families.

Jacky Sheahan of Cootamundra FITT 4 U personal training will be running the camp with her team, including Daniel Wells, Jane Bateup, Tara Kelly and Jody Miller, with Kristy expected to join in.

“This is an issue that’s close to all our hearts, everyone has been touched by cancer,” Jacky said.

Melissa White and many other volunteers from the community will also be assisting with the variety of activities on the day, and local businesses have already been donating prizes, including an iPad and day spa hamper.

Anyone interested can pick up a registration form from Hello World, Flanders & Smith EyeQ Optometrists, and South West Slopes Credit Union, or head to the Facebook page Cootamundra Bootcamp 4 Breastcancer.

Registration will also be available from 6am on the day, but will close by 6.45am as the instructors need to be aware of the various levels of fitness within the group.

Kristy is also running a boot camp in Cronulla, with money from that event going to Breast Cancer Network Australia and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.