Breast cancer surgeon Chantel Thornton inspires at Women’s Health Brunch
Above photos courtesy of Craig George, The Examiner Newspaper.
August
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Friday, August 25 for our annual Women’s Health Brunch with breast cancer specialist Dr Chantel Thornton.
Clifford Craig Foundation CEO Peter Milne, with Dr Chantel Thornton, CCF Chairman Dr John Batten and event MC Kim Millar.
More than 170 guests enjoyed the sold-out event at Country Club Tasmania, with Tassie-born Dr Thornton sharing insights from her remarkable career.
We hope everyone found the morning as inspiring and informative as we did.
You can re-watch some of Dr Thornton’s top tips here.
Events like this would not be possible without support from our generous sponsors.
A big thank you to our Principal Partners The Bubble Tasmania and Minimax, and our event supporters VJAM, Country Club Tasmania, along with the day’s MC Kim Millar.
Thank you also to Raelene Bates of Delicious Little Things for whipping up and donating so many tasty cupcakes, and Blast Balloons for your fundraising efforts. These sold-out almost immediately!
It was great to also have Tristan from BreastScreen Tasmania on site. Pleasingly, many attendees used the day as an opportunity to book in for a mammogram!
Lastly, thank you to Dr Chantel for sharing your wisdom.
Speaking to The Examiner Newspaper, she said while the narrative of a breast cancer diagnosis was changing, women living in regional areas still face disadvantages.
"The most important thing to take home from an event like this is education," Dr Thornton said.
"A diagnosis of breast cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence anymore; 92 per cent of people that present with breast cancer survive.
"And that's thanks to research and events like this."
With a family history of breast cancer, Dr Thornton was just a young child she watched her aunty battle and then sadly die from breast cancer.
The loss instilled her with a life-long passion to help women living in rural and remote communities.
After training as a general surgeon and sub-specialising in breast cancer and melanoma, Dr Thornton went on to establish the Specialist Breast Cancer Surgery and Specialist Cosmetic Centre in Melbourne.
As one of Australia’s leading breast cancer surgeons, she is passionate about enhancing the patient experience, and currently leads the Epworth Hospital multidisciplinary breast cancer team.
Although access to breast cancer specialists for regional women has improved, she said awareness events such as Friday’s was integral to saving more lives.
"I think that [regional] people still don't know where to go or what to do," she said.
"It's funding, it's access and it's being empowered to know that you can actually get a second opinion or help.
"Breast cancer treatment is advancing and making a difference in people's lives - let's do that regionally, too."
