For two reasons, February 3, 2023 is a date forever etched in Trish Mitchell’s mind.
That day, her daughter was in labour with Mitchell’s first grandchild. But it was also the day Mitchell was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She was 63 years old and had already lost her father, mother and brother to different forms of the disease. Her sister had stage 4 melanoma.
“My dad died of cancer but his was found very late. My brother died of melanoma and at that point in time there wasn’t any real treatment for melanoma. My mum died during Covid of cancer as well.”
Mitchell said she was the first in her family to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that cancer can be a temporary condition. I had cancer. They took it out. I don’t have it anymore.”
Mitchell said staying positive and educating herself about her condition were key strategies in her resilience.
She also found human interaction was the best support.
“Take your time. Listen to your gut, to your instincts. Do your research.”
She supported efforts to research better alternatives to the hormone therapy treatments which caused severe side effects in her case.
“The other thing I’d like to see is a little bit more research done into lifestyle choices like diet and exercise and how past experiences and emotions can affect your body.”
Breast Cancer Research Trust senior oncology research nurse Jenni Scarlet said hormone blocker therapy was mostly used in the treatment of breast cancers but had the common side effect of joint aches.
“Some women experience really uncomfortable joint aches,” Scarlet said.
“Ideally, with research we keep fine-tuning treatment so that one day in a future world we have minimal or no side effects.”
Scarlet said the trust was about to embark on a clinical trial for a new hormone-blocking drug.
“When I started my nursing training 40 years ago there were only two options in terms of hormone-blocking treatments. Now there’s quite a range. There’s about 10 different choices,” Scarlet said.
“These days treatment and care is very much tailored to the type of cancer and the person.”
The Breast Cancer Research Trust was established in 2000 by a group of dedicated breast cancer specialist doctors and nurses at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ - Waikato, who wanted to make clinical trials possible and accessible to those diagnosed with breast cancer.
Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.