Secondary support

IT IS hard to miss the fact that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
There is pink everywhere and there are many inspiring stories of survival.
Yet often forgotten during October are the thousands of Australian women are living with incurable breast cancer.
I am one of those women.
Secondary breast cancer, also known as advanced, metastatic or stage four breast cancer, is when the cancer has spread from the original site in the breast to other parts of the body such as the bones, lungs, or liver.
Secondary breast cancer is currently incurable although it can be treated and managed, sometimes for many years.
This year Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) acknowledged Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day for the first time in Australia on Monday 13 October.
We know that around 2700 Australian women pass away from secondary breast cancer each year but we don’t know exactly how many are living with advanced disease.
Unfortunately many women living with secondary breast cancer are unaware of the support available, such as BCNA’s free Hope and Hurdles pack.
If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, please visit BCNA’s website www.bcna.org.au for support and information.
Tracey Ryan,
Cranbourne North.