A chance encounter has revealed a unifying bond between former MLA Giulia Jones and hair stylist Claudia Cataldo and strengthened their resolve to urge young women to be vigilant against the risk of breast cancer.
Mrs Jones, now CEO of Painaustralia, is currently undergoing chemotherapy after revealing in May she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a lumpectomy soon after.
Now starting to lose her hair due to the treatment, she decided to shave off it all off and raise money for two charities - So Brave, a breast cancer charity for young women, and for Painaustralia to help young women living with pain.
When Mrs Jones approached the Cataldo's salon in the city to do the honours, she by chance met stylist Claudia Cataldo who is now in remission from breast cancer, but also receiving ongoing treatment.
Ms Cataldo was only 33 when she was diagnosed in the midst of the pandemic. Mrs Jones is 43. They are an exception to the rule, with the National Breast Cancer Foundation saying more than 80 percent of breast cancer cases occur in women aged over 50.
Now they have teamed up, with Ms Cataldo to do the head shave for Mrs Jones on July 31 at Cataldo's in Ainslie Place and draw attention to the need for young women to be alert to the risk.
"I'm just so honoured to be a part of it," Ms Cataldo said.
"What a great cause and a great initiative for younger women to be more self-aware about checking and to just be on top of it. If you catch it early, it's better.
"And Giulia is incredible - you should be so proud that you're doing this through such a hard time in your life."
A mother of six, Ms Jones never imagined she was at risk of breast cancer until she was playing with her youngest daughter and felt some bruising in her breast. She looked in the mirror and saw some slight dimpling and went to get a free breast screen from BreastScreen ACT.
Similarly, Ms Cataldo never thought she was at risk of breast cancer. She felt a lump, went to the doctor and scans found the cancer. She had a mastectomy and radiation and chemotherapy and is still receiving treatment including a trial chemotherapy drug and another to help preserve her fertility. She is just starting to feel like herself again.
"I had just the best support from family and friends to get me through it all," Ms Cataldo said.
So Brave founder Rachelle Panitz said younger women might be lulled into a sense of security, not least because the invitation for a free mammogram was usually not sent out until women turned 50. BreastScreen ACT does offer free screening mammograms to people aged 40 years and over.
Yet Ms Panitz said breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer for women aged 20 to 39 and also the leading cause of cancer death for the same age group.
"They really have to fight just to get investigated because it isn't seen as a young woman's disease," she said.
Ms Panitz said So Brave had also aligned itself to Australian company BCALDiagnostics which was developing a blood screening test for breast cancer, to be used alongside current breast screening methods. A spokeswoman for the company said the blood test was due to be rolled out Australia-wide next year.
Mrs Jones is happy to fundraise for So Brave and Painaustralia even as she prepared for another round of chemotherapy likely to leave her bed-ridden for a week.
"I'm on a good day. But tomorrow I go in for my second chemo and I'm expecting to be in bed for seven days. That's what happened last time, I got really severe nausea. They've slightly tweaked the medicine so I won't feel so nauseous. It's just one of those things I have to walk through one day at a time," she said.
"I want to do [the head shave] because I am always trying to find a way to make my life useful and positive despite the s--- that life throws at you.
"I really think when you're at your lowest is the time when sometimes you're at your most powerful."
- To donate to the charity head shave go to https://painaustralia-ceo-headshave.raisely.com/amp;source=gmail&ust=1689818151312000&usg=AOvVaw2hajLjRRhwImWNUjwvj53e" https://painaustralia-ceo-headshave.raisely.com/
