Numurkah mum Kellie Salter says if she hadn’t followed through on getting a diagnosis for a small dent in her right breast, her breast cancer prognosis would have been a whole lot worse.
While Ms Salter has completed active treatment for the disease, she still participates in ongoing hormone therapy and will be on exemestane medication for the next 10 years.
Exemestane is used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through menopause and works by adjusting the patient’s oestrogen levels, which helps to slow the growth of cancer cells.
The 46-year-old mother of two teenagers was happy to learn that the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation, which has historically raised funds for breast cancer research, would this year also start channelling funds from its events across the country into ovarian cancer research.
“Breast cancer gets a lot of support and funding and lots of awareness in the media and community,” Ms Salter said.
“I feel ovarian cancer being one of the hardest cancers to detect, due to the symptoms, holds a much higher risk of being fatal and undetectable before it’s too late.”
Ms Salter’s mother sadly passed away from ovarian cancer in May, 2021.
“Mum had back pain and a bloated stomach and none of us were aware or prepared for her diagnosis,” Ms Salter said.
“It was at stage four when diagnosed.”
Not long after Ms Salter’s breast cancer diagnosis, her sister participated in the 2020 Mother’s Day Classic.
Two weeks later their mother received her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“It’s a fabulous event and, now with the added support to ovarian cancer research, it will shine a light and get information out to women around ovarian cancer and its very discreet symptoms,” Ms Salter said.
“Hopefully more women will see their GP for investigation of any symptoms.”
Ms Salter, who will be donating to the fundraising cause this Mother’s Day, has recently discovered her cancer was hormone positive with her mum’s history and is now on a waiting list to have her ovaries removed.
“Pains are such common symptoms, but anything that is not normal for you and your body, go and see your GP,” Ms Salter said.
“Ask for the tests; you know your body.”
The Mother’s Day Classic will be held at Victoria Park Lake, Shepparton on Sunday, May 12.
To register for the event: mothersdayclassic.com.au/registration
To donate to the event: mothersdayclassic.com.au/donate