Federal leaders and So Brave unveil heart-wrenching stories of women with advanced breast cancer

Rachelle Panitz, CEO of So Brave, Australia’s leading young women’s breast cancer charity, alongside numerous Federal MPs and Senators, launched Legacy of Love, a poignant collection of stories from women living with metastatic breast cancer.

The event was led by co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Cancer Care and Cure, Senator Deborah O’Neill Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash and Kylea Tink MP.

Legacy of Love: Courage, Strength, Hope, Resilience is an honest compilation of lived experiences and advice from 25 young women and their loved ones who have faced metastatic breast cancer.

Panitz emphasised the importance of this initiative, saying “Young women with metastatic breast cancer often feel isolated and overlooked. This resource is a testament to our commitment to ensuring that their voices are heard, and their needs are met. By launching this at Parliament House, we are also calling on policymakers to recognise and support this vulnerable group.”

“Sadly some of those in the book could have avoided this if they were taken more seriously by doctors when they came forward with concerns. This has to change. I know in my own journey I had to stick up for myself,” said Giulia Jones, CEO of Painaustralia.

Young women reading these stories, will feel a sense of compassion, community and understanding in what is a lonely and horrifying time.

This resource captures their journeys, offering personal insights, practical advice, emotional support, and heartfelt personal stories from those living with metastatic breast cancer and their loved ones. Legacy of Love offers a blend of practical advice and emotional support, empowering young women to navigate their journey with courage, strength, resilience and hope. Through their stories, Legacy of Love aims to empower and inspire young women and their loved ones, fostering a sense of community and resilience in the face of breast cancer.

So Brave Patient Advisory Committee member and young metastatic breast cancer thriver, Larissa Erzetich, shared her experience in the new resource, explaining that “resources and information like the one being launched here today were not available to me at the time of my diagnosis and I didn’t realise that there were many other young women like me.

“I thank So Brave for putting together this resource for people like me to share our stories and support each other so we feel less alone.”

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