SONIA Galloway was feeling tired during the heat of summer.
Laying in bed, she brushed her breast. “I thought, that hurt and then I found a lump,” she recalls
A doctor’s appointment was made for the next day and her journey negotiating breast cancer treatment started.
Almost nine months later, Sonia remains stoic and works when she can at Inglewood IGA.
Next month, she’s organising a fund-raising morning tea. Sonia wants to raise awareness of breast cancer.
“The message is simple. Make sure you have regular checks ... just because there is no history of breast cancer in your family, and there wasn’t in mine, it doesn’t mean it will bypass you,” Sonia said.
“For me, it’s just bad luck. The good news, it’s not genetic.”
Doctors and specialists told Sonia her breast cancer was aggressive. “They found two lumps - one was a cyst - the other lump quickly measured 23mm but with treatment it has already been reduced to 9mm,” she said.
Sonia still has another month of chemotherapy in Bendigo. “It’s a long process from when you find the lump.
“Before that I was feeling tired and losing weight but not physically unwell.”
Sonia said she and partner Eric Rochester had explained to their children Islay, 7, and Thomas, 8, that the medication during treatment would make her sick.
“We’ve had amazing support from family and friends on the journey and (manager) Tom Ryan and assistant 
manager Kathryn Paton at IGA have been wonderful.”
The fundraising morning tea will be on October 2.