Natalie Petersen and Kylie Collett’s friendship has solidified on journeys that no one wishes for.
Both Richmond “cancer buddies” were astounded to be diagnosed with the most common cancer for Kiwi women just three months apart, but relieved theirs was identified before a perilous stage.
They’re spearheading a Pink Ribbon event at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Saturday 31 May that’s “not about the pink dresses”, instead urging women of all ages to not be complacent with the ‘Big C’, get tested early - and garner $4000 for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
Natalie had owned a Richmond physio and Pilates practice and the healthy 41-year-old had an ultrasound of her own accord.
“Nothing was stressing me out, then in the ultrasound the radiologist looked at me and she’s like, ‘I found something, I’m really worried about this, I think that is cancer’.”
Her breast cancer diagnosis was confirmed in early March.
“It wasn’t early, which is the scary part, it was a grade two invasive carcinoma,” she says.
“I had to close my practice because I was expecting a 12-month long [cancer treatment process]. Because it was grade two and hadn’t spread into the lymph, it was almost like the lottery of cancer in terms of it was the right size, the right stage of being caught, and the correct hormone sensitivities that we could just do the mastectomy and treat it with tamoxifen.
“I don’t think I would have made it to my 45th birthday,” Natalie says, if her breast cancer wasn’t picked up when it was, and encourages all women to get checked before they qualify for free mammograms from age 45.
“That’s the dream here, catching this thing early so that we keep our mothers and our sisters in the home with our families where they belong and not in hospital fighting cancer cells.”
For Kylie, it was her fourth mammogram in eight years in early December when breast cancer was identified.
“I was told that it was very small, we caught it early, but it was aggressive, so that was a bit scary hearing that word,” she says.
“I had a mastectomy on 14 January. I wasn’t going to risk having the lumpectomy, I’ve heard too many stories that people do it and then [the cancer] ends up coming back.”
Kylie’s final round of chemotherapy was planned for 26 May and she says further treatments will be precautionary.
Registrations to attend the event can be made via the Facebook page, Natalie & Kylie’s Pink Ribbon celebration.
You can donate here.
