Megan Walch shares breast cancer journey as BreastScreen Tasmania celebrates 30th anniversary

Megan Walch thought the lump in her breast was the result of menopause – she didn’t know that a routine breast screening would save her life. HER STORY >>

Breast cancer survivor, Meg Walch, with Fiona Dean – who helped Meg with her treatment as a McGrath breast care nurse. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Megan Walch thought the lump in her breast was the result of menopause – she did not know that a routine breast screening would save her life.

As BreastScreen Tasmania celebrates 30 years of service, Dr Walch has shared why there should be nothing more important to a woman than her health.

At 54 years old, Dr Walch’s life was changed on December 22, 2021 after a routine breast cancer screening led to a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer.

“I would have gone to see my GP earlier about the lump; I thought it was just menopause,” she said.

“That was the cocktail: menopause, it being hard to get into a GP after Covid, and (that I) was looking after other people.”

The type of cancer she was diagnosed with was only detectable through imaging tests.

Meg Walch was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in December 2021, after a routine breast screen at age 54. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“If they hadn’t found it, even within a couple of weeks let alone months, my whole outcome would have been very different,” she said.

“They saved my life, it’s as clear as that.”

Dr Walch – who is now in remission after the cancer was 100 per cent responsive to the treatment – said women should never put off checking in on their health.

“I knew something was wrong, I put off my own self-care because I was caring for other people,” she said.

She expressed gratitude for the level of care she received while undergoing her screenings and her treatment, and for “force of nature” nurse, Fiona Dean.

“The service (breast screening) is free and effective, and if you have travelled to any other country, you know this is not something to be taken for granted,” she said.

“It’s a lifesaver; it’s a women’s lifesaver, and the consequences of not getting checks are far worse than being frightened because you don’t like the machine.”

An artist and art teacher, she said she also leant into her work to get herself through the treatment process.

Meg Walcha and Fiona Dean, who helped Meg with her treatment as a McGrath breast care nurse. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

She urged women to prioritise their breast screenings, and not just let the notices hang under a magnet on the fridge.

Since opening the service in 1993, BreastScreen Tasmania has provided free breast cancer screening for Tasmanian women.

BreastScreen Tasmania director Dylan Sutton paid tribute to the staff who had worked in the service over the past three decades.

“During this time, the impact of breast cancer mortality in Tasmania has improved significantly in the target age group of 50-74, decreasing from 74 deaths per 100,000 women in 1991, to 41 deaths per 100,000 in 2020,” he said.

“A recent report showed that Tasmania is leading the country for breast screening, for the target age group of 50-74 years, sitting at 10 per cent above the national participation rate.”

With mammograms detecting up to 90 per cent of breast cancers, he encouraged women aged 50 to 74 to screen every two years.

Originally published as Megan Walch shares breast cancer journey as BreastScreen Tasmania celebrates 30th anniversary