When plastic surgeon Dr Gary Avery first explained her breast reconstruction, Danielle Foster says, “I needed that hard truth. I thrived on that for survival.”
Danielle was just 26 years old when she was first diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
“I had a mastectomy to start off with and then I had six rounds of chemo and radiation,” says Danielle.
She later discovered she had a gene mutation that started with her.
“Being diagnosed with cancer did something to my mental health. When I turned 27, I spent that whole year on the beach at Redhead with my prosthesis in my swimmers,” says Danielle.
After that summer, Danielle had her other breast removed.
“The concern was that because I had this diagnosis so young, I needed to have the other breast removed to reduce the risk of future complications,” says Danielle.
After her second mastectomy, Danielle joined the waitlist for a breast reconstruction in the public system.
“There is a two to three year wait, at least. I had just gotten engaged and I didn’t want to walk down the aisle without breasts,” she says.
She visited surgeons in Sydney but it all felt ‘too cosmetic’. When she found a surgeon in Newcastle, she says, “He gave me this feeling of professionalism. I trusted him.”
Despite the costs, Danielle decided that she wanted to have the surgery in Newcastle so she could move on with her life.
This is where Sleapy’s Foundation came in.
“My cousin invited me to Sleapy’s Day because our grandfather played for Souths Rugby League. By the end of the day, they’d given me a large chunk of money to support the surgery,” says Danielle.
“Robynn and Peter continually reached out. After my second surgery, they turned up with the biggest bunch of flowers I’ve ever seen.
“That’s when I thought, ‘I feel like I am part of a family’,” says Danielle.
Fast forward ten years and Danielle is the mother of a three year-old and six month-old.
“Peter and Robynn came to my baby shower,” says Danielle.
Like so many Sleapy’s recipients, Danielle is determined to give back. She has leveraged her role as a promotions manager at Triple M to help raise awareness around Sleapy’s Day. “The support they gave me made all the difference. I was so woozy and sick after my surgery. I have never felt such pain or heaviness in my chest but, because I was at Lingard in Merewether, my Dad was able to be there with me,” says Danielle.