Kym Berchtenbreiter Breast Cancer Interview

Kym Berchtenbreiter Breast Cancer Interview

Australia will turn pink during the month of October to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to show support for women and families personally affected by breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) is the peak national consumer organisation for Australians affected by breast cancer, and has more than 80,000 members nationally. BCNA works to ensure that women diagnosed with breast cancer, and their families, receive the very best information, treatment, care and support possible.

Breast cancer in Australia
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women, and with 41 women being diagnosed every single day there aren't many that aren't affected.
Around 15,000 women and 125 men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone, and while survival rates continue to improve – today around 89 per cent of women survive five years after diagnosis – there is still a long way to go.
Despite improvements in diagnosis, treatment and management in recent decades, sadly seven Australian women will lose their lives to breast cancer each day - more than 2,700 each year. Raising awareness is an important part of reducing the impact of breast cancer on Australian women and families.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time to highlight the dedicated and on-going medical research that is helping to advance our knowledge and understanding of the disease and provide improvements in detection, treatments, patient care and health outcomes for those diagnosed with breast cancer.
Monday 28 October 2013 is Australia's Breast Cancer Day, a day when all Australians can come together to show their support for women with breast cancer and their families.

About Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA)
Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) is the peak national organisation for Australians personally affected by breast cancer, and consists of a network of more than 80,000 individual members and 300 Member Groups. BCNA works to ensure that women diagnosed with breast cancer, and their families, receive the very best information, treatment, care and support possible.
Visit us at www.bcna.org.au to find out more about our programs and services, including the free My Journey Kit for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast cancer statistics
Every day 41 women will be told they have breast cancer and 7 will lose their lives to this disease
Over 15,000 women and around 125 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year
Each year, more than 2,700 Australian women die from breast cancer
One in 8 Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women
It is estimated that in 2015, approximately 15,600 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer
Survival rates continue to improve with the current 5-year survival rate 89%

Breast cancer is a complex disease needing a variety of treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and long-term medication

Interview with Kym Berchtenbreiter

Question: Can you talk about the role you play as a BCNA member?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: I enjoy several different roles with BCNA, including that as a member. As one of 80,000 individual members linked to the BCNA network I frequently visit the BCNA website (www.bcna.org.au) and contribute to online network conversations; whether by initiating a blog about a particular topic or responding to another member. I also hold two voluntary positions with BCNA as a Community Liaison and also as a Consumer Representative. Both roles are wide reaching and varied. My first voluntary project with BCNA was as a team member of the -That's What I'm Walkin' About' event, with the very wonderful Shane Crawford when he ran from Adelaide to Melbourne. As a Community Liaison, I may speak at public fundraising events, greet customers at a Bakers Delight store during the Pink Bun campaign, or participate in media interviews - with Femail and Girl! One of the assignments I find particularly rewarding in this role is liaising with medical students at two of Melbourne's leading universities. It is nice to think that in some small way we can help to positively shape the medicos of the future. The position I am most actively involved in at present is that of BCNA Consumer Representative for the EMPathy Breast Cancer Network; an Australia-wide collaboration of scientists, medical oncologists and surgeons investigating the role of epithelial mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) in breast cancer recurrence. The objective of a BCNA Consumer Representative is to represent the experience and views of Australians affected by breast cancer. This can involve reading and providing comment on potential breast cancer publications, to sitting on scientific committees and offering perspectives from a consumer point of view. Each role is different and all are rewarding.


Question: What does the Breast Cancer Awareness Month mean, to you?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: For me every month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For the wider public having a dedicated month each year helps to continue raising awareness about breast cancer and reinforce the importance and need for ongoing support and research. It's a reminder that while diagnosis and treatments continue to improve, over 14,000 Australians are still diagnosed with breast cancer annually and more than 2,700 lose their lives each year to this insidious disease. The month of October provides a platform for various public speaking and fundraising events and the chance to wear lots of pink! Both my birthday and wedding anniversary fall within the month of October. Still being here to enjoy these occasions is another reason for me to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.


Question: Can you talk about how your diagnoses of early breast cancer in 2009 affected you and your family?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: The affects of a breast cancer diagnosis were many. My husband Rick was and still is my absolute rock. While my diagnosis rocked us both to our cores, Rick was always positive and never questioned that I would get through treatment and survive. While I have always had an optimistic outlook, I certainly had introspective moments when I was confronted by my mortality. We don't have children of our own, but we have four beautiful nieces who were young teenagers at the time of my diagnosis. I talked very openly about my breast cancer (age appropriately) and encouraged them to ask any questions. They all saw my bald head and had fun trying on my wig. Now they are bit older they have, at their request, all seen my mastectomy scar. A diagnosis of breast cancer also impacted on my work. Rick and I run our own financial services business. While I worked throughout my treatment I did need time off after each round of chemotherapy. I had also just obtained a post graduate primary teaching qualification and had just started part time teaching at several local primary schools when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2009. I chose to stop teaching, as the risk of infection was too great while I was undergoing chemotherapy. When I went back the year after treatment but found I kept getting sick, picking up every germ from every sick child. I haven't been back into a classroom since 2010, but now enjoy private tutoring.


Question: How did the BCNA help you when you were diagnosed?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: As soon as I was diagnosed my wonderful Breast Care Nurse organised a BCNA My Journey Kit to be sent to me. This was such an invaluable resource. It is written in lay-person language and I referred to the Guide to Early Breast Cancer booklet often for information. There was so much useful information in the kit – right down to a brochure about how my friends could help me. BCNA also helped me (again via my Breast Care Nurse) with a free bra and soft form prosthesis (donated by Berlei) for me to wear home from hospital. This was awesome, as I was conscious of being lopsided and it was one less thing I had to think about and organise. BCNA's website was also a fantastic resource. There was so much unreliable and scary information out there on the internet, it was very reassuring to be able to go to a reputable website offering a so much useful information and fact sheets.

Question: How does your breast cancer affect you, daily, now?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: Four years on from diagnosis, I find the edges have started to soften.. Last year we had quite a scare thinking the breast cancer may have metastasised in my bones. The good news was it was only three broken ribs and no sign of metastatic (advanced) breast cancer. The fear of recurrence is never far from the surface. I'm on daily medication for at least five years and this medication makes my joints quite stiff. Sometimes I feel like I'm 100 years old as I struggle to get my stiff feet moving. But for me it's tolerable and better than the alternative. While I would never, ever wish to have breast cancer, it has opened up a whole new set of opportunities and friendships. I met many wonderful women and made new friends throughout my treatment and we stay in touch quite regularly. I have also lost new friends to this devastating disease and this always saddens me. But these losses also strengthen my belief in the value of the work I do with BCNA.


Question: How did physical activity help with your emotional wellbeing after diagnosis?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: To be honest, I've never been a gym going, ab-crunching, run 10km's type of person. But I resolved to walk each day if I was able and this was exactly what I did. I really believe it aided my recovery and made me feel I was doing something positive to help my body during the rigours of chemotherapy. Straight after chemo they were short walks, gradually increasing in duration towards the end of the three weekly cycles. Walking each day gave me something else to focus on and work towards.


Question: Can you talk us through your breast cancer treatment?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: The treatment regime for breast cancer can be different for every person, as there are many types of breast cancer. My treatment consisted of a right breast mastectomy (removal of the entire breast) followed by six rounds of chemotherapy at three weekly intervals. As mentioned earlier, I am on daily medication for at least five years and am now down to annual visits to both my Oncologist and Breast Surgeon.


Question: Did you try natural and alternative methods along with traditional methods of treatment?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: No, I didn't try alternative methods of treatment. I exercised moderately and watched my diet carefully and that worked well for me.


Question: Did breast cancer run in your family?
Kym Berchtenbreiter: No, breast cancer does not run in my family. Familial or genetic breast cancer accounts for less than 10% of those diagnosed.


Question: What advice would you give a woman who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: Don't be afraid to ask questions of your medical team. Write down a list of questions to take with you to your appointments and take a family member or friend if you feel you need the support. Ask for help if you need it. People seemed to feel the need to offer advice when I told them of my diagnosis (and some horror stories). I found it easiest to listen politely and ignore most of it. After each chemo Rick sent out a group email telling friends and family I was ok – this avoided lots of well-meaning telephone calls at a time when I really didn't want to be talking too much.


Question: Can you talk us through the financial impact breast cancer had on you?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: We are covered by private health insurance, so it was both disappointing and annoying that we were about $15,000 out of pocket by the time my treatment finished. I was surprised it was so much. While I lost teaching income, we fortunately were not relying on that. On the plus side, Medicare rebate $400 every two years for a prosthesis. This is a wonderful initiative.


Question: What about the impact of breast cancer on your sexual wellbeing?

Kym Berchtenbreiter: Having only one breast has not sexually been an issue for me, as my husband has made me feel totally loved and desired. Chemotherapy put me into chemically-induced menopause at 48 years of age and the impact was a significant decrease in libido. The medication I'm on can also cause thinning of the vaginal walls, making intercourse challenging. So while our sex life is different to what it was, it certainly hasn't ceased. I still think my husband is totally hot!


Interview by Brooke Hunter