Supporters in Action

“My mum was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 when my brother Louis was 16 and I was 14.

She had a lumpectomy and a solid dose of radiotherapy in Wagga Wagga, two hours away from home in Griffith where dad and I remained and five hours away from Louis at boarding school in Melbourne. She smashed it, got better, got back to work and we carried on.

In 2010 on her five-year check-up (we’re ready to be in the clear at this point yeah?) Mum was diagnosed with a new primary cancer in her other breast. Rude right? This diagnosis called for more surgery and more aggressive treatment. Mum slogged her way through chemo in Griffith, had a bilateral mastectomy and continued to work at the local hospital and support our family.

Since then, things have been pretty cool. Louis moved to Germany, I remained in Melbourne and Mum and Dad live a solid life in Griffith with a ripper community.

But in January 2021 we found out mum’s breast cancer, which had seemingly laid dormant for 16 and 11 years respectively, had metastasised to her bones and here we are now.

Mum’s undergoing treatment, still working and still supporting our family. I decided I needed to do something, and running a half marathon seemed easy in comparison to what mum’s been through. I reached out to my friends and community with this message:

Every bit helps – with more research we can have better treatment and outcomes for people with breast cancer. Mum’s current treatment is vastly different to what she endured the last time she went through this. We owe this to trials and research. I can’t stress this enough – please help me, help them and hopefully one day less families will go through what we’re going through.”

After months of gruelling training, Sophia Cotroneo felt unstoppable, but a small tear in her plantar fasciitis stopped her in her tracks. Heartbroken, but buoyed by gratitude, Sophia watched as her friend Carli crossed the finish line in her place at the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon, in honour of her courageous mum.

In just a few short months, Sophia raised just over $14,000 thanks to the support of her amazing friends, family and community.

Congratulations and thank you Sophia for not only supporting your mum, but for wanting to help other women and their families too.

See how breast cancer clinical trials changed the story for Dawn and Nicola.

You help researchers like Professor Lindeman change the story for more Australian women and their families.