#WeAreNorthern
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to raise awareness of the disease, education about its symptoms and prevention, and fund research into causes, treatment, and cure.
Today, we chat with Sarah Young, McGrath Cancer Care Nurse Consultant (Breast) at Northern Hospital Epping.
Q: Firstly, what is your coffee order?
Medium skinny latte — but honestly, some days I’m not picky and I’ll take whatever gets me through the day!
Q: Tell us about your role as a McGrath Cancer Care Nurse supporting people and their families experiencing breast cancer.
As a McGrath Breast Care Nurse, my role is to provide specialised physical, emotional, and psychological support to individuals and their families who are experiencing breast cancer. From the moment of diagnosis, throughout treatment and into survivorship. I am there as a consistent point of contact to help navigate what can be an overwhelming and challenging journey.
At its core, being a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is about being present, offering a listening ear, a comforting presence, and practical guidance during what is often one of the most difficult times in someone’s life. It’s about walking beside patients and their loved ones so they never feel alone.
Q: What is the most rewarding, but also challenging, part of your job?
The most rewarding, yet also the most challenging part of being a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is building a trusted relationships with patients and their families during some of the most vulnerable and emotional times of their lives.
Being able to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life, even in small ways, is incredibly fulfilling. Whether it’s explaining a difficult diagnosis in a way that makes sense, offering a shoulder to cry on, advocating for patients wishes or simply being present when things feel overwhelming, knowing you’ve helped someone feel supported and less alone is a privilege.
At the same time, forming those close connections means that you feel all of their emotions with them. It can be emotionally draining, especially when outcomes aren’t positive. You carry a lot, not just medically, but emotionally and psychologically and balancing that compassion with the need to protect your own wellbeing can be tough.
Q: What does an ideal weekend look like to you?
Most of my weekends are spent playing taxi for the kids, so my ideal weekend would be one without sports or children’s activities, just relaxing and catching up with family and friends.
Q: Do you have a favourite travel destination, and why?
Fiji – where the weather is always warm, the cocktails never stop flowing, and the locals greet you with a smile and “bula” every time.
Q: If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, real or imaginary, who would it be and why?
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be my brother. Losing him when he was young left so many things unsaid, and there’s a lot I’d love to talk to him about. I’d want to reminisce about old memories, fill in the gaps of the time we missed, and hear his perspective on everything that’s happened since then.