Sarah Green (Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa), a mother of four living in Clendon Park, South Auckland, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2022 at the age of 56. She had been doing regular self-checks of her breasts, and this was how she discovered breast cancer in between mammograms. Sarah’s now sharing her experience to highlight the difference people-centred care made for her. Being actively involved with her treatment helped Sarah to remain on hormone therapy, which is an essential part of breast cancer treatment, and also gave her the confidence to incorporate te ao Māori into her care. Her story shows that when the health system prioritises the holistic needs of people with cancer, Kiwis can receive more compassionate and inclusive cancer care to achieve better health outcomes.

I’d gone to an all-girls secondary school and our PE teacher had taught us about women’s health. Through that, I learnt about self-checks and mammograms. So, I had been regularly checking my breasts and had started going for mammograms as soon as I turned 45. It was through self-checking that I’d found the lumps.

I was 55 when I found the first lump. I took myself off to the GP and the lump turned out to be just an abscess. Around a year later, I found another lump in the same breast and thought it’d be nothing to worry about again. But after having a mammogram and biopsy, they confirmed it was breast cancer.

I was just baffled by the diagnosis. I’d kept up with all my checks and mammograms, then I got dealt the Big C. It just didn’t make any sense. When I got the news, the first question the surgeon asked me was, “What do you know about cancer?” From there it was a rollercoaster ride of endless information. It was tough trying to get my head around it all and wondering if had spread and how far it had travelled to.

They found cancer in my lymph nodes, so I needed a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Then I began hormone therapy with a drug called letrozole. It was fine at first, but after a month everything turned to custard. I had started going back to the gym to help with my recovery, but I began having excruciating pain in my joints; my toes, knees, elbows and hands were all affected. I thought exercising would help but it didn’t, so I had to stop. My appetite was also impacted.

I had been pre-warned about side effects on letrozole, so I went on Breast Cancer Foundation’s mybc Facebook group to see if other women were saying anything about this medicine. When I saw that others were having similar experiences, I spoke with my oncologist and was relieved to learn there was another drug called exemestane I could switch to. So far so good, and it was so helpful to be able to turn to mybc to learn from others going through the same thing.

During my treatment, I delved into rongoā Māori (traditional Māori medicine) to help me. The doctors weren’t supportive at first. But I explained how it was about promoting Western medicine as well as our own approach to medicine. They wanted me to have morphine, but I chose to take medicinal plants for pain relief instead. The plants also helped to give my body a good cleansing prior to starting chemo.

When I was researching what plants can do for us and making sure they weren’t clashing with Western medicine, my GP told me there is a pathway where they can both work together rather than against each other. It’s about finding the balance between them. And with having stage 3 breast cancer, I thought, what is there to lose – there was only lots to gain.

I learnt that it’s all about having a plan, listening to my doctors but also talking to my family and other sources of help like Breast Cancer Foundation’s nurses and other women with breast cancer through the mybc group.

It was so important for me to feel in control of my treatment, especially being a Māori woman up against the Western health system. It’s actually been a beautiful journey working together with my medical team, accepting and supporting one another. For me, it wasn’t about taking away their mana, because they’re the professionals. But it’s my body, and it was empowering to be able to be so open with them about my choices.

The relationship with my doctors has also been about accepting and supporting one another. I’ve learnt things important things about keeping myself healthy – like not drinking alcohol. And I want my doctors to know about the importance to us of Te Whare Tapa Whā, balancing whānau (family), tinana (physical), hinengaro (mental) and wairua (spiritual health). It’s crucial for us as Māori not just to look at one part of us, but recognise there’s a whole lot that contributes to our sicknesses.

What’s also helped me to navigate alongside the doctors was my experience with my mum, who did a lot of work looking after sick people. She was strong in her cultural protocols, and I spent a lot of time with her doing that work, so I had the knowledge that people don’t always die from cancer.

This coming Easter I’ll be in the “Survivors camp”. But cancer will still always be in the back of my mind because cancer never sleeps. What gets me through is knowing that I can access the help that is available and be open with everybody about my choices. I’m sharing my story to let other wāhine know that going through cancer might change your life, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up your life.