Charlotte Varcoe
A POSITIVE outlook on life following years of difficulty is the main aim for Mount Gambier’s Barb Brierley as she continues to recover from fast-growing stage three breast cancer.
Diagnosed with the triple-negative disease in 2019, Ms Brierley received a number of treatments including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Triple-negative breast cancer is one which tests negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and excess HER2 protein – the growth-promoting protein which resides on the outside of all breast cells.
According to Breast Cancer Network Australia, the triple-negative disease does not respond to hormone therapy medicines or medicines targeting the protein receptors, resulting in 10-20 per cent of breast cancers being diagnosed in this category.
As a result of her diagnosis, Ms Brierley underwent surgery to remove one of her breasts, resulting to her entering remission.
“When I found out I had cancer I was absolutely devastated and so were my children when they were told,” Ms Brierley said.
“I didn’t want my children to know when I found the lump on my breast because I didn’t want them to worry but once they did find out they were so supportive.
“Although throughout treatment we also ran into a few complications and soon found out I was allergic to the chemotherapy which resulted in my hands swelling up and nurses struggling to find veins so I was also bruised all over.”
Ms Brierley described her time in treatment as “very difficult” with treatment coinciding with the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
“I couldn’t really go anywhere, and although I finished treatment in the middle of 2020 and had my breast taken off a few months after at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital it was still tough,” she said.
“The staff at the hospital were fantastic and the doctors throughout my treatment were also amazing but one of the hardest things I found about having cancer was not having control over my own life.
“There were times where I was so sore and tired from treatment that I didn’t even have the strength to open round door knobs so we changed all the door knobs in the house.”
Despite the difficulties, Ms Brierley said she tried hard not to dwell on past events and focus on the future.
“The past is out of my control and I don’t want to remain down about what has happened,” she said.
“For those who do have cancer, I would like to remind them to reach out and speak to others no matter what it is about or what time it is because these things do not just go away.”
