Katrina Watson

In memory of Katrina Watson - unforgettable in the best of ways

For the last 13 years of her too-short life, Katrina battled breast cancer in one form or another.

In 2012, she overcame Invasive Ductal Carcinoma aka IDC (now referred to as No Special Type or NST), the most common type of breast cancer (~80%); it's the type most people are aware of, as it is usually detected via lumps. 

After a lumpectomy and radiotherapy, Katrina was told to have annual mammograms. Being a cautious person, Katrina ensured she did this every year without fail.

The mammogram in 2018 detected a small anomaly in one of Katrina's breasts.

A follow-up ultrasound with biopsies several weeks later detected 3 tumours, the largest being 8 mm. 

After a double mastectomy several weeks later (Katrina's choice), she was told that the largest tumour from one breast was 11 cm. In the other, it was 15 cm. And all 10 axillary nodes removed near one breast had been replaced entirely by lobular cancer. Her breast surgeon postulated that, from the known rate at which that cancer grows, it had probably been active in her for up to 2 years.

Subsequently, Katrina was diagnosed with Stage 3 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC). Although ILC is the second most common form of breast cancer (~15%), most people don't know that it exists, let alone that it usually does not form lumps in the breast. 

Both of Katrina's breasts were infiltrated over 75% by this invisible killer that mammograms struggle to detect in women with dense breast tissue. 

Sadly, no one told Katrina that until it was too late.

And no oncologist could ever tell her it was gone, as the scanning techniques used couldn't detect the disease until it started doing serious damage somewhere in her body.

Even after multiple rounds of chemo & radiation, the lobular cancer never died - it simply disappeared for a season. Katrina continually had to undergo treatment whenever the disease reappeared by attacking different organs in her body. 

By the time she passed on, the disease had infected her head, stomach, bowels, liver, bones, arms, legs, and who knows where else.

In December 2024, Katrina decided she wanted to do something so that women, in particular, would be aware of this killer hiding in the shadows. She engaged with various cancer support groups in the US and Australia/NZ that focused on raising awareness of lobular breast cancer, hoping it would lead to funding for improved detection & treatment methodologies.

Sadly, the disease flared up from that point, almost as if it knew what she was doing. 

Over the last 9 months of her life, Katrina spent far too many days in hospital receiving ineffective chemotherapies or having procedures every 2 weeks to drain 6-10 litres of ascitic fluid the disease kept producing.

To honour both her life & her passion for change, we would like you to consider donating to the McGrath Foundation. During the many years that Katrina was receiving treatment, the McGrath nurses at the Mater Hospital were always incredibly caring & supportive.