Sisters Tracey Laverick and Margaret Wand have always shared a special bond.
From childhood memories and family celebrations to secrets, laughter and life’s ups and downs, they’ve been there for each other through it all.
But they never imagined they’d also share something as confronting as breast cancer.
“After 15 months of treatment, I thought we had put breast cancer behind us,” Tracey, 58, tells Woman’s Day. “Then I got the call from Margaret and couldn’t believe it was back in our lives. There was no family history, it was just damn bad luck.”
Positive spirit
Tracey’s breast cancer journey began in June 2024, when she discovered a lump in her left breast.
The timing was particularly cruel as the family from Newcastle, NSW, had farewelled their beloved father, John, 84, a week earlier.
Tracey barely had time to grieve before she was facing a frightening diagnosis of aggressive triple-negative breast cancer.
Over the next 15 months, she endured gruelling treatment and surgeries that left her physically and emotionally exhausted.
At the same time, she was caring for her husband, Mark, who had been severely disabled by a stroke 15 years earlier.
“The treatment was so aggressive, I was completely wiped out,” Tracey says.
“Suddenly I didn’t have the energy to lift Mark from his wheelchair into bed at night. Thankfully, Margaret would come and stay with me so she could help out with Mark and I could rest.”
After Tracey completed her treatment, the sisters hoped the worst was finally behind them.
Then early this year a routine mammogram revealed that Margaret, 60, had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) – an early form of breast cancer where abnormal cells are found inside the milk ducts of the breast.
“I was feeling perfectly fine, I had no lumps, so it definitely came as a shock,” Margaret says. “All I can say is thank goodness for that mammogram because it detected the cancer early.”
This time, Tracey became her sister’s rock, standing beside Margaret through two surgeries and 15 rounds of radiation.
But while Margaret was undergoing treatment, the sisters faced another devastating loss.
In February, they said goodbye to Mark, 64, when his body gave up fighting.
It was tragic for Tracey, yet Mark’s positive spirit continues to give her strength.
“A word I learned early after Mark’s stroke was hope,” Tracey says. “He was always so happy and positive no matter what life threw at him. So, I tried to stay positive and upbeat, even when I wasn’t feeling it.”
Plenty of pink
Through tears, treatment and loss, the sisters kept showing up for each other – just as they had done all their lives.
The pair hosted their first Pink Bloom Party last year to turn their health journeys into something positive, raising $4800 for breast cancer research and clinical trials.
This year Tracey and Margaret are planning to raise $10,000, with an even bigger celebration at their local bowling club, complete with fundraising, community spirit and plenty of pink.
“We just want things to be better for the people coming behind us,” Margaret says.
“We want to see better treatments, better outcomes and a brighter future for everyone diagnosed with breast cancer.”
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