A sea of pink shimmered across the Narrabri golf course recently as residents and visitors rallied, dressing up and hitting the green to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and raise funds and awareness for an important cause that’s sadly close to too many locals’ hearts.
The statistics are sobering: every day, 56 Australians are diagnosed with breast cancer – more than 20,000 each year.
One in seven women and one in 600 men will face this diagnosis in their lifetime, according to the Foundation.
Around 1000 young women aged under 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, equivalent to about three young women each day.
Every year, more than 3300 people in Australia, including 40 men, will die from breast cancer.
That is nine people in Australia a day dying from the disease.
There’s no doubt the numbers are confronting, but they also serve as a powerful reminder of why ongoing awareness, research, and support are so vital because the statistics represent real people—family members, friends, neighbours, loved ones whose lives are forever changed.
“I was pretty blown away by the support on the day,” said local Emma Maxwell, who has been passionate about breast cancer fundraising for many years now. She tragically lost her mum Karlene to the disease last month, just seven days before the charity golf day was held on Sunday, November 2.
“I wasn’t going to attend, and then dad convinced me and said I’d put so much work into it, and I should go,” said Emma.
“There were definitely some emotional moments, but the warmth and happiness from everyone there made the day feel more uplifting than sad.”
“Mum would’ve loved it because she was right into golf. I probably felt closer to mum by being there,” she said.
“Mum loved a good fundraiser and raising awareness.”
For years now, Emma has put together a National Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser in October, starting small with selling cakes at work and then expanding to t-shirts and more – every cent has helped and hopefully inspired people to be more aware and get health checks.
In some good news, thanks to research and early detection, the death rate has dropped by more than 40 per cent since 1994, according to The National Breast Cancer Foundation.
One of Emma’s main messages to the community is to prioritise their health and to get regular checks. If the pink charity golf day goes ahead again next year, she hopes to have the mobile breast screening bus onsite.
“People put off getting checked all the time,” said Emma.
“Back in 2010, when mum was first diagnosed, she always prioritised work and she had a lot on at the time, and she just wouldn’t commit to a doctor’s appointment, and then when she did, they said the lump was six months old.
“So, mum used to always say to me ‘if you have anything that you’re worried about, you need to go to the doctor, you need to put that first’.”
As well as the charity golf day being a fun day out, Emma said there was also comfort and support found by the sharing of experiences in a casual setting, between holes or back at the club afterwards.
“There’s usually someone who knows someone who has been impacted by breast cancer,” she said.
“When you start talking to people, they’ll open up and say ‘my aunty or my mother-in-law’ or another family member.
“Even when I started doing the fundraisers through work, I couldn’t believe the support and people would just share their stories.”
Emma welcomed feedback from the day and praised the golf club, her friends, community members, volunteers, golfers and golfing enthusiasts along with the sponsors for helping to make the pink charity golf day such as success, fundraising an impressive $7707 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
“As I said, I was just blown away by the support and donations, and just how much the golf club was willing to do – from organising live music, Chef B Pizza and all the behind-the-scenes help they offered to support the cause.”
While the golf match was a nine-hole event, it was so popular that some teams played on the front nine while others played on the back nine.
To donate: https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/emmamaxwell/narrabri-pink-golf-day
