Director of Women Sport Australia and athlete, Chantella Perera on how the McGrath Foundation supported her family’s experience with Breast Cancer
This week we were lucky enough to gather some of our key community members to celebrate the launch of our limited-edition Denise Crew at Crown Towers in Melbourne.
Our special guest, Chantella Perera whose beautiful mother Indrani passed away from breast cancer had the support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse, shared her experience with us as well as why physical exercise, including moderate intensity aerobic and resistance exercise, is known to be of enormous benefit to the mental and physical recovery of people with breast cancer.
McGrath Breast Care Nurses provide invaluable physical, psychological and emotional support from the time of diagnosis, throughout treatment, not only for the patient but also their family and this was highlighted
We thank Chantella in advance for sharing her beautiful story with us, as well as our event guests, and we hope that by sharing it with you now too, this might inspire you SHOP PINK with us.
Q. Tell us a little bit about your mum - who was she as a person? We'd love to know more about her.
My mum - Indrani, was an incredible person. She came to Australia from Sri Lanka without knowing any English and with very little money. She was a determined and brave woman who climbed her way up the ladder as a leading Branch Manager at the National Australia Bank. She worked incredibly hard, along with my dad, to give myself and my older sister the best lives possible. She was a very talented lady and was always the life of the party. She loved people, loved to chat and was the best cook - she always wanted to feed people and made the best meals. She is my shining light, supporting me through all my endeavours from sport, work and life. Even though she isn’t here now, I still feel her spirit guiding me and my family as we move through life.
Q. Would you be able to share a little about her experience through her treatment?
Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2017 and we went through quite the journey over the years. She tackled her first diagnosis (Stage 4 Metatasic breast cancer) head on, determined to beat it and continue on life as usual. In true mum style she did just that, taking on surgery, chemo and radiotherapy without any hesitation. We stuck by her side as she continued to work and provide for us in her usual way. The first round was a challenge but together we felt like she had made good progress and thankfully the work paid off and she was cleared of cancer. Unfortunately, in 2019 she had a relapse and this time things were not as promising.
Q. Would you be able to share a little about her experience through her treatment?
Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2017 and we went through quite the journey over the years. She tackled her first diagnosis (Stage 4 Metatasic breast cancer) head on, determined to beat it and continue on life as usual. In true mum style she did just that, taking on surgery, chemo and radiotherapy without any hesitation. We stuck by her side as she continued to work and provide for us in her usual way. The first round was a challenge but together we felt like she had made good progress and thankfully the work paid off and she was cleared of cancer. Unfortunately, in 2019 she had a relapse and this time things were not as promising.
The cancer spread and she endured various serious effects. From her lungs to her brain, things weren’t in a good way. I think Mum always knew this wasn’t one wasn’t going to be easy and she did all the things to keep herself going so we had everything we needed to continue on with life without her. She passed away following my debut as an AFLW player for the West Coast Eagles in February 2020.
Q. Did movement help?
From an early age my mum was active, she was one of 10 kids and was a sporty child. She went on to be a university record holder in Sri Lanka in athletics and both my sister and I were very lucky to inherit her and dad’s wonderful sporting genes. We grew up in active family with mum leading the way putting me in all sports. She was always keeping herself active from walking, jogging, gym, and pilates. When she was diagnosed with cancer she kept up her exercise and I know that helped her with her treatment and state of mind. She worked with my good friend who is an OT to ensure she kept her strength and movement up throughout the journey.
Q. How did you get in touch with McGrath Foundation and hear about their McGrath Breast Care Nurses?
We were blessed to have a McGrath Breast Care Nurse from early on in our journey. Liz was an angel - she literally appeared in our lives one day (I honestly don’t even know how it came about) and she was a key part of our family and journey through breast cancer. Liz provided us with support, guidance and care as we went through a really difficult and scary time. We had so many questions and there are so many things that happen when you have breast cancer that you just don’t know about. We had an incredible medical team around mum, but Liz was the glue that connected us all. She was able to be the layer in between that helped us understand the situation we were in, decipher some of the medical jargon and provide us with all the options for support that we needed. Without Liz I’m not sure we could have got through this situation as we did, from mum, to dad, to my sister to myself, she helped each of in our own way and we could not be more thankful for everything that she and the McGrath Foundation provided to us.
Q. How did it support your mother and your family from diagnosis through to treatment?
Going through a breast cancer journey is a challenge but losing your mum and your best friend is just something you can never be prepared for. I have my mum’s fighting spirit and I know I was able to use that to help get through the journey and afterwards, but it wasn’t easy. I tried to live my life as usual because that is what mum wanted and I take a lot of comfort in the fact that she was able to see a lot of things that I did that made her proud. You grow a layer of resilience and strength when you ensure a breast cancer battle, and this journey has provided me with new skills that I can take into the next chapter of my life. Watching her go through that battle was a very hard thing to do, but it showed me everything I knew of my mum to its fullest - she was strong, brave, determined and a fighter and most of all she was still caring, kind and happy. These are things I feel blessed that my mum raised me to be and I’ll continue to live by those values as I go through my life.
Q. Any advice for others going through a similar experience?
I don’t think anything can prepare for a breast cancer diagnosis, but you can go arm yourself with strategies and tactics to help yourself and your family on the journey. My advice would be to take all the support you can get, the McGrath Foundation being a big one of those. This a fight bigger than anyone and it takes a community to get through this. Embrace the emotions and the roller coaster that comes with it, be kind to yourself and let the pain and feelings play out. Some things have to be felt but there is always light and always someone there to provide comfort, support and love. No matter how small or big your family or community of support is, find out who that is and lean into them as you go through this journey.
Q. Movement is such a big part of your life because of your career - did you keep moving through your experience? If so, did it help you?
Absolutely - as I mentioned I did my best to move through my life as best as possible because that kept my mental health in a good space, and it was what mum wanted. I continued to train and play at an elite level, playing AFLW throughout the journey. But it wasn’t always because I was an elite athlete, movement for me is what makes me happy - it’s my safe space. Even if I can only get out for a walk, I have realised that the movement is what keeps me ticking and keeps me balanced. I believe it’s really important to have a variety of things that keep you grounded and in balanced even state and that definitely includes movement.
** NOTE: Special thanks to Crown Towers, who generously gifted to venue for the function, to support the cause. We’d also like to acknowledge and thank @biossance @swiish @santamarianovellaaustralia @Libertybellerx for the gifts they provided guests.