A Newcastle woman who discovered a lump in her breast while heading to a friend's hen's party is sharing her story ahead of the Mother's Day Classic, an event she describes as having a 'crippling effect' on families affected by cancer.
Leanne James, now a community ambassador for the Newcastle event, felt a lump in 2019 at age 42, when she had two young children. 'It was the last thing from my mind that it would actually turn out to be something that was cancerous,' she said. Diagnosed with breast cancer, she has participated in the Mother's Day Classic ever since, raising funds for breast and ovarian research.
This year, Ms James will walk five kilometres around the Stockton foreshore as a community ambassador. 'Cancer affects so many of our mothers and it will affect so many more mums in the future and it has such a crippling effect on the family,' she said. 'This is the day to come and remember the trauma that people go through and all the wonderful support that is out there.'
Ms James first joined the Sydney version of the run after her first year of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, before moving back to her hometown of Newcastle. 'I was looking for something to bring the family together for Mother's Day and something I could do to raise money for breast cancer,' she said.
For about five years, she did well, but a check-up revealed the cancer had returned roughly two years ago as triple negative, a more aggressive form. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy and remains on hormone medication. 'The effect on a young family is life changing. I was unable to work for a period of time; my youngest, he barely remembers me really being well,' she said.
She has returned to work in the past year and feels nearly back to her normal self, though she is still waiting to pass the five-year mark to be considered in remission. 'Unfortunately, I've never experienced that moment where they say you don't need to be on any treatment right now,' she said.
Each year, she returns to the Mother's Day Classic to raise funds and awareness, especially for women eligible for testing. Women over 40 can have a free mammogram every two years. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for females in Australia, with more than 20,000 cases estimated in 2025, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Ms James also wants to speak for women abandoned by their spouses while battling the disease. 'These women are often left on their own to continue to raise the family when they're not fully healthy and they're also not fully able to be financially independent,' she said.
The Newcastle Mother's Day Classic has raised about $39,000 of its $85,000 goal before the event on Sunday, May 10.
Community ambassador and breast cancer survivor Kerryn Payne said the event allows people to relate to one another and celebrate their progress. 'A lot of people that I spoke to over the years are running not just for themselves but for their sisters, mothers, friends and family,' she said.
Ms Payne was first diagnosed in 2022 and again in 2023 when the cancer returned. She is on hormone therapy but otherwise feels good. She also wants to draw attention to ovarian cancer, which she feels is talked about less. 'I have known a few people who have lived with ovarian cancer, some of whom did not survive,' she said.
Gynaecological cancers, including ovarian and cervical cancer, account for about 9 per cent of cancers diagnosed in females in 2025 and just under 10 per cent of female deaths from cancer.
To donate to the Newcastle Mother's Day Classic, visit the event website.
