Anna Malcolm's heart sank when she discovered a lump in her breast.
The mother of two, who made the discovery earlier this year, says she was shocked and struggled to process what she had uncovered.
She did not have a family history of cancer and was in relatively good health.
"I did what I think a lot of people do — I tried to tell myself, 'No, that's not what you think it is,'" Ms Malcolm said.
A visit to her GP in Colac confirmed the lump needed investigating further, so she was referred to her local hospital, Colac Area Health, for an ultrasound.
After chasing up her referral with the hospital, Ms Malcolm was told she would need to wait about three months to be seen.
"Women have the fear of God instilled in us about finding lumps, and then to get told to take a seat on the bench and wait?
"I said, No, this is ridiculous.'"
Taking matters into her own hands
Ms Malcolm was able to subsequently book herself in for a scan in Terang, an hour-and-a-half round trip from her home in Colac.
When the results of that scan were inconclusive, her GP recommended doing a biopsy of the lump.
After chasing up her referral at Colac Area Health, she was told the expected wait time for a biopsy was six months.
"I actually burst into tears," Ms Malcolm said.
"This was the first time I had cried … but [then] I went, 'That's absolutely outrageous. I'm not going to tolerate this sort of treatment.'"
Ms Malcolm's search for a specialist took her even further east, this time to Geelong, where she was able to secure a biopsy within a two-hour round trip from home.
The diagnosis confirmed her worst fears — she had an aggressive, fast-growing form of breast cancer.
Ms Malcolm has since started an aggressive regime of chemotherapy, and radiation and the lump has started to reduce in size.
Ms Malcolm said she felt like one of the lucky ones.
"Not only did I have cancer, but if I had have waited that nine months for the first ultrasound, and then the subsequent six months for the biopsy, we could be having a very different conversation," she said.
Wait time 'varies' depending on service
Colac Area Health, the hospital where Ms Malcolm was initially referred, sits under the umbrella of Barwon Health.
The south-west facility started providing diagnostic imaging services in April in an attempt to remove the need for patients to travel to Geelong or beyond for such services.
Barwon Health did not address Ms Malcolm's concerns directly but said that wait times varied depending on which service was required.
"There are appointments reserved each day for urgent investigations to take place immediately," spokeswoman Kate Bibby said.
"The current wait time for a non-urgent ultrasound is six weeks."
Ms Bibby said all biopsies were completed in Geelong and that wait times there were even less.
"Radiologists with a specialisation in breast biopsies perform all ultrasound-guided breast biopsies, with a waiting time of 10 days, while those deemed clinically urgent have a wait of two days," she said.
Colac Area Health's medical imaging services are scheduled to be renovated next month.
Spotlight on regional availability
Ms Malcolm is committed to taking each day as it comes as she continues her cancer fight.
"I just hope other women don't have to go through this experience that I've gone through," she said.
"In the country, we don't have the option of going to five different hospitals or jumping on public transport to get to a different location … it's not easy for us."
Ms Malcolm said she wants to use her experience to lobby for greater funding for cancer diagnostic tools in regional areas — particularly for women.
"In the daily grind of health needs, it's almost like we are forgotten," she said.
"We don't always have the access to the car. We don't always have the time because we're often the primary carers.
"I know the cogs of such a large mechanism like health care will take a long time to change, but I hope that we can at least put some kind of humanity or community back into the system."
