Cancer survivor’s tale captured in new book It’s Not Just About The Breast

PETRINA Burnett’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2007 at age 31 may have defined her life, but the story of her experience navigating the cancer pathway in her new book, It’s Not (Just) About the Breast, covers much more than mastectomies, reconstructions and chemotherapy.

“A year after I was diagnosed, I was found to carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, explaining why my grandmother, aunt, cousin and I had come to be diagnosed with aggressive breast or ovarian cancers at such young ages,” Burnett, of Cottesloe, said.

“The book tells of how our stories collectively have resulted in an ongoing intergenerational challenge, something of which my cousin’s children will have to face going forward.”

Burnett’s bilateral mastectomies and breast reconstruction surgery, as well as oophorectomies to manage her ovarian cancer risk, left her with a number of further challenges including early menopause and infertility.

She said it was a story heard less in the public space, where younger women with a cancer diagnosis had to manage the social and financial impact.

“We know younger women do get the disease, but there’s ramifications people don’t realise for young women who are not in a relationship and haven’t had children, ,” Burnett said.

“It felt good to talk about that and it also felt good to talk about the genetic aspect. The gene was only found 12 years before I was diagnosed so it was early days in the genetics world and they were trying to work out how to best manage people like us.”

Burnett, who has been a physiotherapist for 24 years, founded Subiaco’s BGAL Physiotherapy in 2009 with the vision to provide innovative and holistic cancer care.

She said writing her book 14 years on had provided her space from the intensity of her experience and she hoped it helped readers to better understand the challenges of any genetic disease.

“I’ve had time to get more insight and perspective about my journey, which I think will help others,” Burnett said.

“It’s also a reminder to people that they can get through the tough times and make their tomorrow even better. We only live once, so we must make our once perfectly brilliant.”

The book has already hit number one in the breast cancer category of the Australian and US Amazon Kindle stores and can be ordered via Burnett’s website, wellstrongcourage.com.

Source: Perthnow Tanya MacNaughtonWestern Suburbs Weekly