Kath Goodman was a 47-year-old Buderim mother of 4 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2005. She initially underwent conservative lumpectomy breast surgery, but it was soon revealed that her cancer was quite widespread and eventually she had to have a full mastectomy.

Her chemotherapy treatment began 2 weeks later and involved 6 sessions at 3 week intervals. Her radiation therapy began 2 weeks after the chemo finished and involved treatments 5 days a week for a period of 6 weeks. Kath is now doing well and has had good results from her 12 monthly tests. Her journey through diagnosis and treatment was tough though as she struggled to maintain care for herself and her family.

Kath's oldest son, Michael has Downs syndrome and was only 11 at the time of diagnosis. Although he is gradually gaining some independence, his needs at home were quite extensive and an extra strain on Kath's energy and time. Michael attends Nambour Special School and was fortunately eligible for transport assistance, which provided a taxi service to and from school.

Michael has 3 younger siblings, Katie, Alec and Olivia, who were 9, 4 and 2 at the time of diagnosis. The raising of a family this size is demanding at the best of times, let alone for a mum who is struggling with breast cancer illness.

Kath's husband, Dal was unable to take extended amounts of time off work as he was completing his final year of service for the rural health dept. as a doctor at Gympie hospital. His work demands were draining as he worked 10 hour shifts, often staying overnight to carry out on-call duties and then travelling over an hour each way to work. As in most cases, Dal was obliged to keep working to pay the bills and was often not at his wife's side during trips to chemo and radiation therapy.

Fortunately for Kath, her 73-year-old mum lived nearby and was able to provide the family with much needed help and support. Also a great help to Kath was the provision of meals for the family, set up by the teachers and parents of the children's school, Siena Primary. Without these two wonderful sources of assistance, Kath doesn't know how she would have coped.

Even with that support, Kath and Dal found the illness draining and could have greatly benefited from the support of the CMBCF.

Many families are not so lucky and have to struggle through similar situations on their own. Kath says the CMBCF could greatly benefit families in situations like her own. The medical bills for treatment, medication and pharmacy soon add up and put a strain on the family budget. Families who are touched by breast cancer would also gratefully receive assistance with meals childminding and housework.