One For The Girls 
NEXT|October 2018

Cancer doesn’t discriminate, as Sam Westend found out. At 30 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and life as she knew it was about to change. She shares her cancer journey

- Sharon Stephenson
One For The Girls 

Sam Westend loved her boobs. The 30-year-old was proud of her Double D cups, how they looked in a fitted dress, the way she had no trouble filling a sexy bra or bikini. But in February 2017, Sam discovered her beloved breasts were trying to kill her.

“I was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of breast cancer,” says the Wellington kitchen designer. “Even worse, I tested positive for the breast cancer gene mutation, or BRCA as it’s known, which puts women at a greater risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.”

The BRCA gene gained publicity in 2013 when actress Angelina Jolie discovered that she carried it and underwent a double mastectomy to prevent herself from developing cancer. Experts now believe if more women were tested for BRCA it could help prevent cancer occurring in healthy women (see sidebar).

For Sam it started in January 2017 with a lump in her right breast. “It didn’t really bother me because I thought, ‘I’m only 29 and I’m healthy, I can’t get cancer!”

A few months later, when the lump became too big to ignore, Sam had it checked by her GP who booked her in to have it biopsied. Results usually take six weeks but a week later Sam was told she had cancer.

“They don’t sugar-coat it – the surgeon bluntly said, ‘You have breast cancer.’”

Although in shock, Sam says her sense of humour got her through. “They hand you a welcome pack to the worst club in the world,” she jokes of the stacks of leaflets and information sheets about what to expect from chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the possible side-effects.

この蚘事は NEXT の October 2018 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は NEXT の October 2018 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

NEXTのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Caitlin Cady Shares Her Journey
NEXT

Caitlin Cady Shares Her Journey

Caitlin Cady always liked being in control, so the thought of meditating scared her. But once she sat down and let her thoughts leave her mind, it proved to be incredibly important to her health. She shares her journey

time-read
8 分  |
April 2020
The Wright Direction
NEXT

The Wright Direction

Back on home soil after her stint in NYC, Rebecca Wright shares with Monique McKenzie what she thinks the future holds for the US, and why she is proud of the positive role modelling New Zealand offers her young daughter

time-read
8 分  |
April 2020
View From The Top
NEXT

View From The Top

She’s just turned 50 and Hilary Barry is feeling happier and more comfortable in her own skin than ever before. The Seven Sharp host sits down with Phoebe Watt to talk about gratitude and why she won’t let the odd barb bring her down.

time-read
8 分  |
March 2020
How To Magnify Your Meal
NEXT

How To Magnify Your Meal

There are certain natural foods that offer higher nutrients than others, but how do we know which to choose? Anna King Shahab looks at how we can make choices that are backed by science.

time-read
6 分  |
March 2020
My big BREAK
NEXT

My big BREAK

Sometimes things come together in ways we could never have imagined. Sharon Stephenson speaks to three Kiwi women about the pivotal moments that helped launch their careers and businesses to success

time-read
7 分  |
April 2020
MOTHER AND SISTER
NEXT

MOTHER AND SISTER

Linda Armstrong attended the Linwood Islamic Centre every Friday and on the day of the Christchurch mosque attack she confronted the shooter, asking him to stop. Now her daughter Angela Armstrong is going back over her mum’s footsteps to learn more about her conversion to Islam and the community she loved

time-read
6 分  |
April 2020
The Acid Test For Anxiety
NEXT

The Acid Test For Anxiety

Microdosing involves taking tiny amounts of illegal psychedelic drugs such as LSD or magic Microdosing, the practice of taking tiny amounts of illegal psychedelic drugs, is being hailed by some as a new form of therapy. We separate the shamanism from the science in pursuit of the truth

time-read
7 分  |
March 2020
Queen Of The Beehive
NEXT

Queen Of The Beehive

Tova O’Brien is living her career dream, leading Three’s all-female political team in parliament. She tells Sharon Stephenson about reporting from Europe’s hot spots, landing in jail, and what they really talk about in the press gallery

time-read
6 分  |
March 2020
NEXT

Passion Project: How To Write A Romance

Have you ever secretly thought you could be the next Nora Roberts or Diana Gabaldon? Award-winning Kiwi romance novelist Bronwyn Sell takes you through her 10-step plan

time-read
7 分  |
March 2020
The End Game
NEXT

The End Game

Everyone has their own approach to goal setting, but do some work better than others? Monique McKenzie shares the methods that will help you get to where you want to be.

time-read
7 分  |
March 2020