“I’m going to keep talking about it, because it’s important,” says Allison Davis.

“Breast cancer is one of the most survivable cancers - if you get it early - so there’s no good reason not to get checked.”

The Breast Cancer Screening Van is back in Coonamble for the next two weeks and Allison is on a quest to get every woman in the district to book in.

Recently diagnosed and recovering from a double mastectomy, Allison says she is not above a bit of blackmail to get her way.

“I tell them ‘you have to do it, I’ve got cancer’. I’ve been dealt that card and I’m going to use it,” she laughs.

“But honestly I tell everyone because it’s really important.

“If you’re going to get it you’re going to get it and this town has lost way too many great people from cancer.

“I encourage everyone to go and get checked because it’s really manageable if you keep up with your tests and pick it up early, there’s just so much support and resources and information.”

Allison, who has just turned 50, now knows a lot more about the disease but the statistics speak for themselves.

One in seven women in NSW will develop breast cancer in their life time, and nine out of ten of those do not have a family history.

One free, 20-minute appointment every two years can save your life - all you have to do is book it and turn up.

“I’ve been going every two years,” said Allison. “I work in a building where it’s all women and when another woman got her diagnosis we decided everyone had to go and get checked.

“I thought I’d set an example and go first.

“I would never have found mine without a mammogram, there were two tumours about 14 millimetres and 6 millimetres and they were right on the back wall.

“I feel like I went and got checked early and managed to catch it early. My progress and treatment would have been a lot worse if I hadn’t.”

She says there is no reasonable excuse to avoid a breast check.

“The mammogram doesn’t hurt and I had two biopsies and I can tell you I would rather have a biopsy than a covid test. It really didn’t hurt.

“If you think you’re too busy, well, make time because you won’t be doing much at all if it gets away on you.”

Even with the mastectomy Allison was only off work two weeks. She then worked two weeks from home before returning to her job as normal.

Allison is working through her recovery and taking a positive focus.

She even organised a ‘guess the breast weight’ competition for her friends and colleagues ahead of her surgery.

“We did run a book, even the surgeon was in it,” she said. “He was 300 grams over by the way.

“Someone even guessed 8 kg!

“They’re lighter than you think, they actually weighed 2.5kg.”

Allison also says she has been receiving an overwhelming amount of help and support.

“I consider myself so fortunate to live in Coonamble,” she said. “I joined an online breast cancer forum and one woman posted that she only had one friend to rely on and that friend had ghosted her.

“There were a heap of other comments from people saying they’d lost friends since their diagnosis.

“But here the amount of support and offers of assistance is amazing. People I barely know have offered to take me places.

“I’ve only lived here 8 years but the encouragement, physical help and emotional support has been amazing and I’m so grateful.

“I can’t walk into a café without someone asking how I’m going.

“And the Cancer Survival Group, they obviously provide some financial support but they’re always checking in to make sure you’re ok.

“Small towns are just phenomenal.”

“We’re really privileged to have the services we have, we just need to use them,” she said. “I think of all the people we’ve lost because of a lack of awareness or fear.

“The van is coming, so get in there.

“If you’re worried you can go anytime and if you’ve missed the van and can’t get into Breast Screen NSW then there are other options, just go and see your doctor.”

The Breast Screen Van will be in Coonamble from Monday 17 June to Monday 1 July, working out of Smith Park.

“It’s on a far west loop,” says Health Promotions Officer Krissy Gailey, who was in town this week spreading the word.

“The first week is fully booked but there’s some availability in the second week.

“It’s free for women over 40 and you don’t need a doctor’s referral, you just book in.

“It is all female staff who work on the van. 

“They can see 27 people per day and can squeeze in a few more or even work on Saturday to fit people in.”

After Coonamble, the van will be in Baradine and then Coonabarabran. It will be back in Gulargambone in September.

With an early diagnosis, 90 to 95% of women won’t need major surgery.