Breast cancer: Mammograms save Christchurch mum's life twice, thousands of women overdue for test

Sharon Reddish, 50, could have easily put off getting her breasts checked for cancer. But if she had, there's a chance she could be dying. Photo / George Heard

About 30,000 Kiwi women are still overdue for free breast cancer checks due to disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic. Emma Russell reports.

If Sharon Reddish had put off getting her free breast cancer checks, there's a chance she could be dying at aged 50.

The Christchurch mum wouldn't be able to watch her two children grow up or take that dream holiday to Canada with her husband.

"I would have missed out on so much life," she told the Herald on Sunday.

The day she found out one of her breasts was riddled with cancer, she had plans to meet her husband for lunch and was getting ready to take their kids on holiday.

Now, five years later, an unrelated tumour has been found in the other breast.

Both discoveries came without warning. She couldn't feel a lump, she had no symptoms of breast cancer and no known family history of the disease.

"It was like 'wow', I wasn't expecting that," she said.

Both times her cancer was caught early enough to treat. Photo / Supplied

Fortunately, both times her cancer was caught early enough to treat.

Shortly after her 45th birthday, Reddish got a call from her medical clinic alerting her that she was eligible for her first free mammogram to check for breast cancer.

"I'm very lucky because I'm not sure all medical clinics do this and it's something that could easily slip off your radar as it's not the most exciting thing to book for," she said.

Two weeks after getting the mammogram she was called back into the breast screening clinic for further tests.

"I remember thinking 'oh this will just be a quick check'. I had planned to meet my husband for lunch after."

Instead, she said she was told by a specialist she had about half a dozen "speckles" of cancer in one of her breasts and was advised to get both breasts removed.

"It was a lot of information to absorb at once..it all happened really quickly."

The family were about to go on holiday as their teenaged son and daughter, had a BMX competition in Cambridge.

"The breast specialist said there was enough time to still go on the trip so we did and I had surgery shortly after we got back and 25 rounds of radiation," she said.

A plastic surgeon was able to perform a reconstruction which meant she was still able to keep some of her breasts, Reddish said.

Following her treatment, the South Island mum had yearly mammograms to check her cancer hadn't returned.

She was almost in the "all clear" when she had her final check in February which revealed a tumour in her other breast, an invasive one that was completely unrelated to her first diagnosis.

"I remember thinking 'oh bugger' but then feeling a little more prepared than last time as I had already gone through the process and felt confident it could be treated," Reddish said.

Since then, she has undergone more surgery to remove the tumour and more of her breasts and further rounds of radiation. Now, she is taking medication to help lower the risk of her cancer returning.

Both cancers would have been near impossible to detect without a mammogram, Reddish said, so it was lucky she got tested when she did.

Every day, nine women in Aotearoa are diagnosed with breast cancer. Photo / Supplied

"Even with my second one, the breast specialist felt around and she said 'I can't even feel the lump' so it wouldn't have been something I could have picked up on until it was a lot bigger and by then it could have been too late," she said.

While Reddish was grateful her cancer had been caught early, she said you didn't have to look very far to find women who weren't so lucky.

"These checks are so, so important. You have to look after yourself because no one is going to do it for you," she said.

Signing up for mammograms was something her friends had been putting off, she said, but they all made it a priority after she was diagnosed.

In May, the Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand launched a campaign called #GiveUsOurMammograms, demanding action to prevent avoidable deaths.

Back then, nearly 50,000 women were overdue for their mammograms because breast screening couldn't happen during Covid-19 lockdowns.

"There has been a strong public demand to clear the mammogram backlog. The number of women needing mammograms dropped by 40 per cent since the foundation started campaigning, but there are still around 30,000 mammograms needed to reach pre-Covid levels, " Breast Cancer Foundation chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner said.

Breast Cancer Foundation chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner says these free mammograms are the best chance of surviving breast cancer. Photo / Supplied

Now, the foundation wants to encourage women to make sure they're up to date.

Every day, nine women in Aotearoa are diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 60 per cent of them aren't getting their first surgery within a month of their diagnosis and, the foundation says, wait times were getting worse. Every year, we are losing 650 women to the disease.

"It is critical that get these mammograms because it enhances your chance of surviving breast cancer," Rayer said.

Mammograms

• Specialised medical imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system to see inside the breasts.

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting Kiwi women. Regular mammograms can save lives by finding breast cancer early, before it spreads.

• At age 45, women living in New Zealand can get free a free mammogram every two years to check for breast cancer.

• Check if it's been more than two years since the last mammogram. If overdue, call BreastScreen Aotearoa on 0800 270 200 to book one in or visit timetoscreen.nz

• Breast Screen Aotearoa has assured it's safe to return to screening and they've put measures in place to be Covid-safe.

• In many areas there are now plenty of appointments, so booking in will help to make the most of the dedicated staff and facilities available.

• Getting a mammogram at regular intervals allows small changes to be identified and reviewed. Women who get regular mammograms are less likely to die of breast cancer than those who screen less often.