By Bina Brown 

THE lure of a local community event has spurred Amanda Ferris and her family to sign up for the first Mother’s Day Classic run-walk around Lake Ginninderra in Canberra’s north.

The 48-year-old, preschool teacher is still finalising her plans for Sunday, May 9, but sees a slow start to the day – a leisurely five-kilometre walk, followed by a celebratory lunch.

Being able to take part in the fundraiser with her partner and children and the many others touched by breast cancer, is an important driver for Amanda, who will this year reach the important five-year mark since being diagnosed with an invasive ductal carcinoma in the right breast.

For Amanda the “cancer rollercoaster” was an unexpected mental challenge as well as a physical one.

“Mentally, I had got it into my head that it wouldn’t change my life – that was where I was very wrong,” says Amanda.

“I started back at work soon after radiation in 2017 and three months later I hit the wall. I just went into autopilot, not expecting the life changes that were to come,” she says. 

“Knowing what I do now, I wish I’d contacted a counsellor from the start.” 

The mental anguish of a cancer diagnosis is common, with people having to deal with their own mortality as well as the reactions from their children and partners, according to nurse counsellor with BreastScreen ACT and breast cancer survivor Kathy Hayes.

“You definitely change as a person physically and psychosocially. The physical side gets looked after well by doctors, oncologists and surgeons but not much attention is given to the psychosocial and financial side of cancer, which can be significant,” she says.

For Amanda the changes came in the form of memory loss, the ability to find the right words and anger.

“I was verbally angry with everyone. I didn’t deal with the diagnosis when I was going through my treatment which included surgery, chemotherapy and radiation,” she recalls.

There were also three children to consider. James, now 9, and Laura, 14, coped better than Samantha, 18, who was able to access a lot more information online and didn’t always believe her mother was going to get through it, recalls Amanda.

“The worst time was when I lost my hair,” she says.

Her tip for anyone going through cancer with teenagers is to make an appointment with the specialist for them to ask their own questions.

Amanda eventually sought professional help and tapped into other support, including Breast Cancer Network Australia, Bosom Buddies, BreastScreen ACT and the Cancer Council. She recommends anyone with a cancer diagnosis do the same, and do it early.

Her other saviour was exercise, particularly dragon boating with Dragons Abreast. It is a sport known to help prevent lymphedema, the painful swelling that can occur after the surgical removal of lymph nodes and one of the most difficult complications of breast cancer. 

This year’s Mother’s Day Classic is all about getting active for breast cancer research.

After having virtual events in 2020, the Mother’s Day Classic is returning in 2021 with local community participation across Australia. 

Canberra has two designated areas for the run/walk: Lake Burley Griffin and Lake Ginninderra. 

Due to covid restrictions, participation numbers are capped at each location. To ensure a spot at a preferred location, people need to book in via the website motherdayclassic.com.au.

Limits on public gatherings mean the start-finish will be more informal than in previous years, but local events will be big on community spirit to raise funds for breast-cancer research and celebrate and honour those affected by breast cancer.

It also means that family and friends can don their pink attire and walk or run together in a covid-safe manner and connect with the MDC community.

Alternatively, participants can take part in the Mother’s Day Classic on a day and time at a location that suits them.

For the first time in MDC history, pets can also register. 

Registration also includes exclusive access to the MDC portal, which features a variety of online content, including fitness tips and workouts, cooking and nutrition advice, health and wellness tips, and much more – as well as an array of activities for kids. 

The portal allows MDC entrants to track their training kilometres and fundraising efforts, with all proceeds going towards breast cancer research.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer – with 55 Australians diagnosed each day. While survival rates are improving all the time, eight Australians die from it every day.

Register as a participant or a volunteer at mothersdayclassic.com.au

Journalist Bina Brown is a member of the Canberra MDC committee