Fridays are a hard day for BreastScreen Mackay Clinical Director and #HealthHero Dr Wendela Schimmer. Each week on this day she delivers the results to women who have had biopsies, as abnormalities were picked up in their mammograms.
“It is always quite a scary event for the women because they’ve been building up to today waiting for the result,” Dr Schimmer said.
“Although they don’t want to hear it, there is always a bit of an expectation there has been bad news. A lot of them bring in partners or friends, which we encourage.
“One of our BreastScreen nurses also joins in so we can support the women in the best possible way, but we have to be honest and tell them the results of the biopsy. If there is a cancer we try to explain as much of it as we can.
“You have to try and be as gentle as you can, but there is no real gentle way of bringing the news that someone has cancer.”
Supporting women on their breast screen journey is at the centre of everything Dr Schimmer does. So much so that she has skilled herself to be there every step of the way.
Dr Schimmer’s main role is the Clinical Director of BreastScreen Mackay. She is also a Mackay Base Hospital surgeon and is training to be an independent reader that looks at mammograms and determine whether there are any abnormalities.
“My role is very diverse. From potentially looking at the mammogram, doing the biopsy if there is an abnormality, giving the diagnosis, potentially being the one who does the surgery for women with breast cancer and then undertaking their five year follow up. I want to be there for the whole journey,” she said.
“I am very grateful to be able to play these roles and I thoroughly enjoy my job.”
She’s a doctor, medical breast physician, surgeon and manager but Dr Schimmer sees her biggest role in life as being a wife and mother to four girls.
“I don’t really see myself as special to be honest, I’m just mum,” she said.
“Like every working mum I get up early and start making their lunches, I feed the animals and get everyone ready for the day.
“I would not be here today without my husband. He is my biggest cheerleader and it is all teamwork because we get through life together.”
