Tania’s Story
Tania Fabris is no stranger to the Breast Cancer Research Centre – WA. Alongside being a patient, she has been one of our biggest supporters. One year ago, in October 2021, Tania, with the generosity of major supporter Minderoo Foundation with Janet Holmes a` Court, Curtin University, Leeuwin Estate and more, created The Raw Colour Art Exhibition.
Now, Tania is curating the artwork for BCRC-WA’s Couture for a Cure 2022 event. She and a handful of other artists are banding together to raise more money by donating proceeds from sales of their artwork to BCRC-WA. The artwork displayed below, titled “Conscious”, will be auctioned during the event.
Tania will also be a guest speaker at the event – to share her personal experience being under the care of Professor Arlene Chan. For this reason, we invited her to also share her unique and artistic story of hope.
What works for me!
My story of recovery and restoration
By Tania Fabris
I will always remember the 31st of August 2015, one day before my favourite season – Spring, it was my final chemotherapy session. We celebrated in the ward with a cake however, my journey was not yet complete as a double mastectomy was scheduled eight weeks later. I knew I was in good hands with Professor Arlene Chan, Dr Diana Hastrich and Dr Edward Van Beem in my corner.
During this time, I spent many days enjoying the spring flora in our most treasured park – Kings Park! This was my walk to recovery and restoration, recording its beauty through my art practice. Like the sun rises each day so does the beauty of our flora every season, even when threatened by external forces, its resilience always comes through, as promised.
Research has come so far that we can now formulate health plans and treatments to suit each person. As Arlene explained, an individual recipe per patient, and this is all due to the amazing success of BCRC-WA and its fundraising commitment to breast cancer.
I recite my experience in my head, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, and here I am seven years later walking into Arlene’s rooms. We are on a first-name basis now. My check-ups with Arlene are now an annual routine event, which at first were attended with my husband so as not to miss any important dialogue as in the early days I was totally numb, all I could see was a mouth moving with little being registered.
Seven years on, I attend on my own and we greet each other with smiling eyes through our masks, like an old friend, that knows you deeply. As we chit-chat during my normal check-up Arlene says, “Due to our recent research and as all is well, I’m taking you off Tamoxifen and discharging you as my patient”.
Hearing this wonderful news lifted an enormous weight off my shoulders and I felt my whole body lighten. I had to check, “Are you sure you don’t want to see me again? Are you sure?”
“Definitely”, was her reply, “but I look forward to celebrating with you and seeing you at the up-and-coming ball “Couture for a Cure”.
A chapter closed, yet the path and journey will never, ever be forgotten, as it has moulded and made me the person I am today.
Feel the fear and do it anyway
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Live in the moment
Pollyanna, I am
Surround yourself with uplifting people
Exercise amongst the gumtrees
Listen to what they are telling you
Quiet the world’s noise
Turn off the phone
Watch uplifting happy
Belly laughing movies
Spend your time with children
Give your time to the elderly
And above all have faith and hope in tomorrow
Tania Fabris 2022
Artwork – Conscious – by Tania Fabris
A Bump in the Road!
“Sturt, the pea is what I found in a mass, why am I so attracted to you, I found you in the desert by the side of a road. Your brightness so old. Your beauty attached itself to ice, oh please tell me you will go and leave me be. This bump in the road is over and you will see.”
Tania Fabris 2022
Tania Fabris Photographed by Jessica Wyld
Share Your Story
Are you a patient of the PBCI and would like to share your story with breast cancer as part of our Stories of Hope series on our website and Newsletter?
We love hearing our patient’s stories and sharing them with others at the very beginning of theirs. For more information on how to be involved, contact us.
