Maria is a Townsville local, born and bred.
She knows the town like the back of her hand, having only ever spent a three-year period away when she first started her working life.
“It’s an easy life here. It’s a growing city and we’re sort of growing with it. We have everything we need here… close to beaches, and we can travel north to Cairns and other places in just a few hours.”
Maria’s affection for her hometown is also closely linked to her family.
She has eight siblings, is a mother to two girls, and is a newly minted grandmother to a baby girl.
“I enjoy being with my family more than anything. I’m a year into being a grandparent, and she lives in the next suburb, so we see her nearly every day.”
However, Maria’s family was rocked, when at 62 years old and newly retired, Maria was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2022.
“I was due to have a breast screen, and a few days after I made the appointment, I noticed there was quite a substantial lump in my left breast. It was sort of standing above the surface. So, I changed the appointment to as soon as possible, which was only a few days later.”
After a breast screen and biopsy, it was revealed that Maria had Stage 2 breast cancer in her left breast. Not only that, but they also found Stage 3 breast cancer in her right breast.
“It was two different types of cancer, and they both needed different treatments.”
“Within a week, I was seeing a surgeon at Mater Townsville and we discussed the best course of treatment for both cancers.”
“The surgeon said that we definitely had to remove the left breast because the lesion was so big, it was over 100 millimetres. She said that I could probably get away with just removing the lesion on the right side and leave the remaining tissue.”
“I opted to have a double mastectomy as it was going to be the most definitive way to remove the cancer. We scheduled it for a week before Christmas.”
It was less than one month from Maria’s initial cancer diagnosis to her double mastectomy surgery at Mater Private Hospital Townsville.
“There was nothing to be gained by waiting if it was progressing that fast. I didn’t want to wait.”
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Maria’s village of family and friends were by her side through her cancer journey.
“I was a bit numb actually when I found out, it didn’t really sink in,” she reflects.
“My husband, Terry, was with me, and I told the rest of the family at a big barbecue pre-Christmas at home. We were supposed to all go away to Melbourne for a big Christmas holiday, but I said, ‘We’re not going away… this is what’s happening and it’s going to be very different’.”
Maria was also the primary carer for her mother at the time, and her husband had just finished his own treatment for cancer a month prior, so she admits it was a very draining time for her family.
After healing from surgery, Maria started a five-month course of chemotherapy, attending every Friday, followed by three weeks of radiation. She says she was one of the lucky ones who didn’t get sick from chemotherapy.
“I didn’t vomit once, so I was very grateful for that. But the fatigue was terrible, and I lost my hair.”
Through all this, Maria found a love of self-expression through clothing, makeup, and jewellery, and even made her own turbans and head scarves.
“I started to use makeup and colour and earrings to brighten myself up and brighten my aura, even though I wasn’t feeling my best. The best photo of me ever was taken while wearing a turban.”
With four sisters, two daughters, and twelve nieces, Maria is grateful to the research that has allowed her to undergo genetic testing, to ensure all the females in her life have the best chance to fight breast cancer, if it appears.
“I’m the eldest, and because I was the first to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, I decided to have the genetic testing done. With so many girls in our family, I needed to see if there was something to warn them about. Luckily nothing showed up.”
Early detection was a critical part of Maria’s successful outcome, and regular screenings meant she was able to discover the more serious diagnosis in her right breast, before obvious symptoms arose.
“If you have a screen coming up, do not miss it—make sure you go. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, ‘I had nothing for so long, they’ll just find nothing again’.”
“If you have any abnormalities or changes, do something about it.”
“There is no definitive way to know if my cancer won’t come back, so even post cancer I need to remain vigilant about noticing any changes,” Maria adds.
If you are hosting an event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and have a keen eye, you will see Maria’s famous brownie recipe printed on your host tea towel.
They are famous for a reason among Maria’s family! For young and old, she keeps a batch in the freezer at all times.
Ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Maria hopes her story will encourage people to host an event and raise money for Mater Chicks in Pink—and maybe even give her brownie recipe a crack!
“To anyone thinking of hosting a fundraising event, know that cancer touches all of us. We may not go through it ourselves, but there is always someone you know going through it. We need to keep supporting each other.”
“Raising funds or even just spreading the word about breast cancer awareness, will help someone else have an easier pathway through it.”
This October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mater encourages all the incredible women in our community to become more breast care aware.
If you are interested in hosting an event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or simply donating, you can find out more here.
