When Kala Heinemann was still breastfeeding her youngest child, she noticed a lump in her breast.
She saw a doctor, but it was dismissed as "something that happens with breastfeeding", while a scan revealed nothing.
So she went on with life.
"Then I started getting a lot of pain in my body, and things just weren't right," Ms Heinemann said.
"Unfortunately, by that stage, it had spread. So it was metastatic breast cancer, which is stage four."
Diagnosis an opportunity to write
The Central Queensland woman said she had always wanted to write children's books, but she was pulled away to other dreams, studying international law and living overseas with her family.
Ms Heinemann was diagnosed while she was living in Israel in 2018.
Last year, she moved back to Australia to live in Emu Park, having grown up in Rockhampton.
The mother-of-two said she saw her diagnosis as an opportunity to write her first book, Pink Punk Mum, about a child helping his mum through cancer diagnosis and treatment.
"In the story itself, I don't get too much into what cancer is and how it affects women in a medical way, but I do talk a lot about the side effects.
"How treatment makes you very tired, or how mums aren't always then available for the kids to play with."
Conversation starters
Ms Heinemann used the book to talk to her own children, now eight and five, about her health.
"It's a really, really hard thing to talk about with your kids, especially when they're little and they don't understand," she said.
"There are obvious things like losing hair. There's nothing you can do to hide that from your kids. You've lost all your hair, and that's something that needs to be discussed."
Mimicking her own experience, the book shows a mum losing her hair only to grow it back, dye it pink and rock a mohawk.
Ms Heinemann said she hoped the book helped at least one other family have a conversation about cancer and feel hopeful about what lay ahead.
"To give someone a laugh, bring a little bit of joy, to bring a bit of lightness to what is a really dark situation … that would be wonderful," she said.
Talking to kids about illness
CQ University psychologist Cassy Dittman said stories like these were particularly useful for young children.
She advised parents to be as open and honest with children as possible and to set aside a time to talk to them.
"It's about turning off all other distractions, sitting down with them in a place where they feel comfortable and happy, or even doing it in a place where you're not face to face … like going for a walk," Dr Dittman said.
"Find out if they've got any questions about what they are going to expect.
"They're trying to predict the future, so it might be simple things like, 'Well, who's going to pick me up from school?'"
She says parents should be alert, follow their child's lead if they have questions, and give children time to process the news.
