Finley’s Jenny Isedale will make a splash this month to raise vital funds for breast cancer clinical trials research.
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She is participating in the Big Bold Swim, which aims to raise more than $600,000.
It will fund research which will help shape the future of breast cancer treatment.
Jenny was diagnosed with invasive, hormone sensitive breast cancer in 2017 when she was 45 years old, working five days a week and raising two young adult sons.
“I was away for my in-laws’ 50th wedding anniversary and found the lump during a self-examination in the shower,” she explained.
“I booked into my GP, and within three weeks I’d had a lumpectomy and sentinel node removal surgery.”
Another surgery to remove around half her lymph nodes quickly followed.
She travelled to Melbourne for chemotherapy treatments every three weeks over four months – luckily, Jenny’s brother-in-law lived there so she could stay with him to keep travel costs low.
Jenny’s radiation treatment followed, five days per week for five weeks, for which she travelled to Albury.
Jenny’s treatments were successful, and her diagnosis was a catalyst for re-evaluating her life.
She had been working as a driving tester for Service NSW, but took a redundancy and started her own swim school, Iseco, which she now runs across three swimming pools in the Finley area.
Yet her experience with cancer wasn’t over.
In 2019, while participating in a trial for Monash University studying hot flushes and tamoxifen (a drug given to prevent breast cancer recurrence), the trial doctor noticed Jenny’s platelets had plummeted, which was unrelated to the trial, as she was on the placebo arm.
Jenny was then diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and spent three months at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
She received a bone marrow transplant from a German donor in February 2020, then she and her husband spent three months in lockdown in a city apartment while she continued her treatment, which was particularly tough given they were used to the wide, open spaces of home.
The leukemia went into remission, then returned in 2022, so Jenny began immunotherapy treatment.
Now nearly four years later, both Jenny’s breast cancer and leukemia are in remission.
Passionate about raising funds to support further research, Jenny noticed Breast Cancer Trials’ Big Bold Swim was coming up and decided to join.
“My goal is to swim 10 kilometres. Breast cancer research is so important in helping gain knowledge into this disease that affects so many people,” Jenny says.
“Being involved in trials and raising money allows this great work to be ongoing. If you can help in any way, please get involved in a trial or donate.”
Jenny has said she is keen to raise funds and support.
“Now I’m well enough I’m happy to be involved.”
“I’m also heavily involved with Finley Can Assist including with our big morning tea in October.”
“The costs associated are unbelievable, especially travel and accommodation.”
“And so many people in our area go through it, it is ridiculous.”
Jenny said her experiences have lead to her wanting to contribute back to the community.
“Definitely having breast cancer changed my whole perspective on life.”
“I wanted to give back to the community that’s why I started being a driving instructor and swim school.”
“I didn’t want to say yes or no any more as a driving tester, rather I wanted to be able to help people and help them better themselves.”
“Getting breast cancer and leukaemia changed my life for the better, in that it gave me a new lease on life and a second chance at it.”
“Without a bone marrow transplant I wouldn’t be here.”
She also said the Big Bold Swim combines two of her passions.
“With the swim school I get to teach and swimming is definitely a passion for me.”
“It is a passion that has been reignited.
“I swim laps each day and compete with the Finley Swim Club on Thursday nights.”
“I’m definitely inspired by my swimming students and partners to do the best you can.”
While breast cancer survival rates have improved significantly in recent years, in Australia 56 people are diagnosed every day and 3300 people still die of the disease each year.
Big Bold Swim participants can register for free nationwide, as an individual or a team, selecting their own distance to swim during the month of February (2km, 15km, 30km or own goal).
Participants receive a free Big Bold Swim cap, KM tracker and can share their tailored fundraising page to help encourage donations.
Participants will also be able to connect with others in the Big Bold Swim community via the Facebook group for tips, encouragement and support.
“Every significant advancement in breast cancer treatment has been achieved through clinical trials research, so the more clinical trials you help fund, the sooner new treatments can be made available,” explained Kate Campbell, the community fundraising coordinator at Breast Cancer Trials.
“Our mission is to fund research to find new and more effective treatments and prevention strategies, so that no more lives are cut short by breast cancer.”
The inaugural Big Bold Swim in 2025 saw 1317 people swim 25,066km and raise more than $500,000 for Breast Cancer Trials’ research.
For more information, visit: https://bigboldswim.org.au/