Cancer survivor gives back

Breast cancer survivor Georgina Hamilton, of Timaru, is excited to give back to the community that helped her through her diagnosis at age 39.

It was not until a month after Hamilton found a lump in her breast that she got around to seeing her doctor, having thought it was nothing to worry about – but within a week she was in surgery for a mastectomy and lymph node removal.

Hit with her diagnosis in May 2016, and without a family history of breast cancer, Hamilton said her it was her age – six years away from being eligible for free mammograms – that made her so unconcerned about the lump.

‘‘I was aware of it [breast cancer] being something some young woman had to deal with, but I still thought of it as something for older woman, 70-plus.’’

Her surgery marked her first time in hospital and was followed by six months of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation.

‘‘It gave me a real appreciation of the services we have here in Timaru and the quality of the medical practitioners,’’ she said.

Hamilton, who has two children under 10, was also surprised to meet other young Timaru mothers with similar experiences, drawing strength from no longer feeling alone in her diagnosis.

Some women refused to talk about their experiences with cancer because they wanted to move on, and while Hamilton was tempted to do the same, she was driven to help other young woman through it because of how crucial support had been for her. Two years on from her diagnosis, Hamilton will be pumping her skills as a lawyer into the South Canterbury Mammography Trust as the group begins a new era, shifting its focus onto being a funding charity after more than 20 years running Timaru’s mammography unit.

The trust sold the business to the Pacific Radiology Group in March.

‘‘It’s a real opportunity for the trust to fund the unmet health needs of women in South Canterbury, while complimenting the wide range of support services we have in the area,’’ Hamilton said.