Carole Merr.
Abbotsford resident and breast cancer patient Carole
Merry is taking part in a new initiative called Lifepool.
IT'S amazing how a phone call can change your life. In January, I was packing for my son’s wedding in the Philippines when I received a call from Peter Mac. They didn’t tell me at the time but I knew it was bad news.
I booked an appointment before hopping on the plane the next day.
Mark’s wedding was unforgettable; it was 10 days in paradise. I kept the call to myself and enjoyed the holiday. The day after we arrived home, I discovered I had breast cancer. I was shocked but felt inspired to do something. I didn’t want to just be another patient. I wanted to help.
Immediately, I thought about my last mammogram, the routine test that found my cancer. Leaving BreastScreen, I received information about Lifepool, but put it in the too-hard basket. My diagnosis inspired me to join immediately.
Lifepool is a Victorian project, based at Peter Mac, gathering anonymous information from women over 40 to better understand how breast cancer develops, refine screening and find more effective ways to predict breast cancer risk. Now, there are just over 13,000 women in Lifepool. We are aiming for 100,000, to make Lifepool one of the largest resources of its kind in the world. The more women involved, the stronger the data and more effective the results.
I’m now undergoing radiation therapy at Peter Mac. I have three beautiful granddaughters and I want them to grow up in a world where breast cancer is nothing more than a manageable disease.
For more information or to join Lifepool, visit: lifepool.org or
call 9656 1096.