Robyn Dawkins never takes for granted the ‘everyday’ moments she spends with family and friends.
She knows it might have been cut short, having battled the most aggressive type of breast cancer: triple negative breast cancer.
She was only 61 when she was first diagnosed in 2007.
“I was in shock. I had no typical signs of breast cancer and had just gone for my usual two-yearly check-up,” Robyn said.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life was to tell my mother, who’d lost her mother to breast cancer when she was pregnant with me.”
The size of Robyn’s tumour surprised doctors, so she immediately began chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy.
She knew she had an uphill battle, with triple negative breast cancer being one of the most deadly types. Patients who don’t respond to chemotherapy only have a survival rate of 12 months.
But Robyn always maintained a positive attitude, and even wrote a fiction novel while undergoing treatment to take her mind off her ordeal.
“Initially I thought there would be no way I would be able to complete a novel but I began thinking of characters and storylines while I was having my chemo treatments and suddenly I had a story that was coming to life,” Robyn said.
And compete the novel she did! Titled Westerly Winds, she even donated part proceeds from the book to The Hospital Research Foundation Group’s breast cancer research.
Robyn with her book titled Westerly Winds
“This is my way of contributing to breast cancer research so better treatment options can become available so my daughter doesn’t have to go through what I did.”
Robyn has cardiomyopathy (heart failure) as a result of her chemotherapy, but otherwise lives a vibrant and happy life – enjoying everyday moments with husband John, daughter Karen and grandkids, and staying in touch with her wide network of friends.
The Longest Table, as the annual cancer fundraiser for The Hospital Research Foundation Group, is committed to fighting for continued research and improved care for cancers including breast cancer.
“I often say to people, really there’s no point in donating to other organisations, because The Hospital Research Foundation… caters to everything.”
Your support of The Longest Table supports vital breast cancer research, helping women like Robyn fight against this devastating disease.
