There’s an email that’s just come in … you need to read it.

“There’s an email that’s just come in … you need to read it”, said Wally, my long-suffering editor.

Wally has been working with me for nearly 20 years, so I knew it was important … and possibly grim.

The subject line was: “Terrified.”

It was written by Kate, a 31-year-old mum of two kids (4, 2), with another on the way.

She’s a teacher, her husband is a chippy, and they work remotely in Western Australia with BHP. Because there are no birthing facilities in their mining town, they’d travelled 1,400km to have their bub in Bunbury.

However, while she was being admitted, the doctors noticed a lump on her breast. After the tests came back, the doctors delivered Kate the heartbreaking news: she had a very aggressive form of breast cancer … which would be very difficult to treat.

And, while she was processing this, she was told she had to have the baby the very next day so she could begin treatment immediately.

Kate’s head was spinning. Her husband, the main breadwinner, would soon have two toddlers to look after, plus a newborn, plus a wife with cancer!

So, from her hospital bed late that night she emailed me.

After reading her email, I did what anyone would do: I picked up the phone and called her.

She burst into tears.

Kate told me that she didn’t have her wider family around her, and that she was totally overwhelmed at what lay ahead of her.

What could I possibly say?

Well, I’ve helped a lot of people in these situations, and the one thing I’ve learned is this: when you’re going through a tough time and you think you’re all alone – you’re not. The world is full of kind and generous people. And so I told Kate I’d spend the next few days connecting her with them.

My first call was to the global head of media at BHP, and I explained to her what was going on.

What could BHP do?

A lot, it turns out.

The benefit of being with a huge company is that it’s well resourced to help, in the form of counselling, carer’s leave, and flexible work arrangements.

Next up, I spoke to her private health fund. I asked them to give Kate and her husband a forecast of her out-of-pocket expenses for the next 12 months, so they could manage their outgoings.

Finally, I called a number of lawyers (who owed me favours) and asked them to help Kate look into any total and permanent disability (TPD) payment she may be able to claim via her superannuation.

It was a busy and emotionally draining day – but the best was yet to come. At dinner time on the farm, we all share our ‘high, low, and Buffalo’ of the day. I said my ‘low’ was learning about Kate’s situation. The kids listened, got out their Give jars, and collectively donated $12.80 to their GoFundMe page.

Every bit of kindness helps.

Tread Your Own Path!

P.S. A message from Kate:

“I’m a fit 31-year-old mum of three beautiful children. There is no history of breast cancer in my family. I didn’t expect this to happen to me, and I don’t want it to happen to you. So, please, check your boobs.”