When Sarah McNamara's daughter-in-law was diagnosed with aggressive inflammatory breast cancer at just 35 years-old, Sarah found herself stepping into a new role, one she hadn't expected in retirement.
In early 2024, Sarah's daughter in-law, went to the doctor about some concerns with swelling in her breasts. At first, doctors prescribed antibiotics, but the symptoms didn't go away. After further testing, they received the difficult news: it was an aggressive form of breast cancer.
Having recently finished her teaching career, Sarah adapted quickly to support her family. She accompanied her daughter-in-law to chemotherapy appointments, helping with housework, and providing emotional support - doing whatever she could to ease the burden.
Sarah recalls how everything moved so quickly after the initial diagnosis.
"Our family was thrown straight into managing life around doctor's appointments and chemotherapy - it was a period of lots of grief and confusion", she says.
Amid this busy and emotionally taxing time, Sarah and her daughter-in-law discovered our Now Yoga course and decided to enrol together.
Not only did the course give Sarah the physical and mental tools to navigate the stresses of her daughter-in-law's cancer diagnosis, but also time to care for herself.
"We'd both practiced yoga before," Sarah explains, "but this course was really tailored for people undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment. It started with gentle chair yoga and gradually built up from there. It was such a thoughtful and supportive approach."
As a carer, Sarah recalls how helpful it was to have time for herself and to learn about some of the simple breathing techniques, helping her learn to let things go.
"The teacher talked about techniques and breathing exercises to help you get back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night. I also learnt how to not hold on to thinking about things. I might feel rubbish mentally about what's going on but using the techniques I learnt I find I don't obsess on things so much now."
Now, Sarah encourages other carers to take that first step and register for the course.
Just give it a go it's a very positive way to spend time with a person who is undergoing treatment for cancer. As a carer, you might also experience the benefits of the practice.
Our Life Now Program offers evidence-based, free of charge introductory Exercise, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mindful Art, Tai Chi and Yoga courses at locations across Western Australia and online.
Applications are essential. Some eligibility criteria apply.
