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Tamara Milne was 37 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The 33-year-old, who works at Christchurch Hospital as a radiographer, was in the shower when she found a lump over Easter weekend while New Zealand was at alert level 4.
“I have scanned countless women with breast cancer, so I am very aware of how important self-checks are,” Milne said.
He immediately booked an appointment with his GP.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Tamara Milne was 37 weeks pregnant with her son Zac, who is now 5 months old, when she found a lump on her breast.
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“Obviously it was during the lockdown and they were trying to make phone inquiries, but I really wanted it to be checked properly.”
She pushed for an ultrasound and they agreed to have a biopsy that day.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Tamara Milne, with 5-month-old Zac Milne, her husband Ryan Milne and 2-year-old Fergus Milne, says women need to “get to know their normalcy” to know when something doesn’t seem right.
Milne said her experience at work led her to expect the worst, but it was still difficult to hear the prognosis.
“I think I knew it in my gut. I was mentally prepared for it. “
This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Milne wanted people to know that the disease does not discriminate.
According to the Breast Cancer Foundation, being diagnosed while pregnant or breastfeeding is extremely rare, but one in 3,000 pregnant women will be affected.
Milne said that while there is no good time to be diagnosed with cancer, her near-term pregnancy was a problem.
“Luckily it was not an aggressive form… or one that feeds on hormones. If things had been worse, I might have been induced.
“I was very lucky to be able to wait a few weeks for Zac to be born naturally.”
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Tamara Milne, with baby Zac and her husband Ryan Milne, says her two children have been “the greatest blessing.”
Zac was born on May 7, and Milne began chemotherapy two weeks later. He has two more rounds left, the last one on Wednesday of next week, before undergoing surgery to remove the lump.
“Little Zac is 5 1/2 months now and growing by the day. Fergus just turned 2 in September.
“Our young children have been the greatest blessing through this. We don’t have time to think about that, because they need their mother. “
Milne said that having health insurance had been a great relief.
“My GP referred me to Canterbury Breastcare, which is a private practice, but is contracted to do these publicly funded tests. After that, you have the option to stay or switch to free public treatment.
“I am very, very grateful that we had health insurance so we could stay with them. It was like a one-stop shop and I didn’t have to face long waits. “
She said she was glad to be one less person putting pressure on the oncology department of the Canterbury District Board of Health.
Christchurch Hospital’s oncology department needs 18 full-time physicians, but currently has the equivalent of just over 10.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Tamara Milne has two more rounds of chemotherapy before having surgery to remove a lump in her breast.
Doctors worked an average of 80 hours a week, and the Canterbury Health Department confirmed in September that half of the 10 staff members were on leave and patients were on waiting lists.
In New Zealand, women between the ages of 45 and 69 are eligible for a free mammogram every two years, although the Government has pledged to raise the age for free screening to 74.
But Milne said that, as her case showed, the reality is that breast cancer does not discriminate.
“It is very important to do periodic self-checks and to know its normal state. I did, so I knew this was abnormal right away.
“Regular checkups will not prevent you from getting breast cancer, but it could change the outcome. It is easily treatable in the early stages, but if I had waited six months it could have been a very different story. “
The Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual Pink Ribbon Street Appeal will take place this weekend, starting October 30.
This year, the foundation has launched the Change & Check campaign, which has received thousands of stickers sent to changing rooms across the country.
His goal is to teach women the nine symptom signs to look out for when conducting their own checkups, including ones you may not be familiar with such as dimples, rashes, and color change.
