MY JOB SAVED MY LIFE
MUM AND NURSE HELEN MADE A LIFE-CHANGING DECISION AT WORK
Acancer survivor is alive only because of a simple twist of fate which resulted in her tagging along to a breast screening. Helen Golightly, 57, a chronic disease nurse from Sydney, originally only went in for a mammogram in 2013 to encourage one of her clients with a family history of cancer.
It was a decision that would change her life forever.
A follow-up mammogram revealed that Helen had breast cancer.
“The first time I went in for a mammogram, I was with a patient and she was really scared. She didn’t want to do it, but she really needed to. So I went along with her,” Helen tells New Idea.
“And then I got called back in.
“I WORRIED I WOULDN’T LIVE TO SEE MY GRANDCHILDREN. IT’S WORTH EVERY BIT OF IT TO SEE HIM”
It was such a horrible shock … a nightmare. There’s no breast cancer history in my family, and I’m one of four girls.
“My mum’s alive and well and my sisters are all well.”
Luckily, the mother of two had caught it early and the cancer hadn’t spread to her lymph nodes.
Helen needed chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a partial mastectomy to remove the affected cells.
Without that fateful mammogram, the dedicated nurse fears she only would have found the cancer when it was too late.
“I didn’t find a lump. I would never have known … I never felt anything, and it was very difficult to see unless a mammogram spotted it,” Helen recalls.
“If not [found early], it would have surely spread … It’s a very scary thought.”
Chemotherapy was severe and very draining. Helen lost her hair and needed to take time off work.
Now, six years down the track, Helen is officially in remission.
It’s an incredible feeling – especially after welcoming her 10-month-old grandson Caelen into the world.
“I’ve got such a wonderful family as well. I’ve got my little baby grandson. He’s just divine,” Helen says happily.
“That was one of my worries – that I wouldn’t live to see my grandchildren. It’s worth every bit of it to see him. I’ve never been so happy in my life.”
As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Helen wants to share her story of survival to encourage women to have regular mammograms.
It could save a life, just like it saved hers.
“Go in for your regular screens. Learn how to examine your breasts and do it often. Even if it’s just once a week in the shower,” Helen adds.
“If you notice any dimpling, puckering of the skin, discharge from your nipples, or anything abnormal, go and see your GP.”