1 in 5 people will miss out on care this year
We know just how important the care and support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is to families experiencing breast cancer.
Our mission is to ensure that no one goes through breast cancer without care. 1 in 5 of them will miss out this year.
Behind every diagnosis is a person and a family. These are their stories.
Will you help us ensure that no one misses out on care?
Jess & Peta
At only 19 years old, Jess Wu made the life changing move from Hong Kong to Sydney. Studying here and living with her boyfriend, Jess was busy enjoying the laid-back Sydney lifestyle for the next four years until a shock breast cancer diagnosis turned her life upside down in 2021, when she was only 23. With all her family back in Hong Kong, Jess faced breast cancer without the support of her family and found her new life derailed.
Gilly & Sam
When an unexpected fall landed Gilly Biven in the emergency department, she wasn’t expecting to leave there with a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. Sadly, as the hospital team ran tests on 74-year-old Gilly after she had fallen in the shower, they discovered that an undetected breast cancer had metastasized within her body.
George & Catherine
A cheeky English expat who lives just outside Adelaide, George is one of the 217 men diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia each year. A lot of things crossed George’s mind when he woke up to a sensitive lump excreting fluid from his nipple a year ago, but breast cancer wasn’t one of them. But when he mentioned in passing to his doctor the lump had changed shape eight months later, the diagnosis was definitive.
Christine & Bronwyn
Christine Bayeh was 8 weeks pregnant and only 27 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. She went on to have a healthy baby boy who is about to turn four. Of Bronwyn, her McGrath Breast Care Nurse, she says “She was my saviour during that time. When I gave birth, Bronwyn was the first one there to see my baby. Her work deserves to be recognised.”
Sam & Sarah
Mum-of-four Samantha Jarnet was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 38. The diagnosis came out of the blue. While having chemotherapy, Samantha’s mental health spiralled. In a moment of crisis, Samantha and her husband Dave called McGrath Breast Care Nurse Sarah Maguire, a move that Samantha credits as saving her life. Samantha is now a strong advocate for the importance of mental health support as part of a cancer care plan.
Our impact so far
McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia
families have been supported since 2005
hours of McGrath Breast Care nursing for individuals and their families in the last year