Listening to others' stories is one way Albury's Janine McKay finds solitude amidst her multiple cancer diagnoses.
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That, and the connection she has formed with "like-minded women" through mindfulness programs.
She said it's an integral part of her recovery because "connection is very important while living with cancer".
"We all support each other in so many ways," she said.
"I have made some lovely friends."
Mrs McKay was given a very grim diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer in 2019, which flipped her life upside down.
"That is where the conveyor belt started," she said.
'Ran with a tiny bit of hope'
Over the following years, she would go on to get diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and melanoma shortly after.
"I am lucky enough to have three primary cancers that are all currently under control," she said.
Mrs McKay said what could have been a miserable past few years after "I was told I would never go into remission", wasn't after being reminded to have hope after a visit with her GP.
"He turned to me after I told him everything and said 'Oh, Janine, I've got patients that have lived five, 10, 15 years after that diagnosis," she said.
"That was an inch of hope, and I ran with that. That has got me to here today."
She said it had been a big journey and that she had to become her own advocate.
"That's what I tell everyone now - be your own advocate," she said.
"You are not like everybody else, look at everything. The world is open to us with the internet.
'Fortunate for friends and family'
"Look at standard, non-standard, supplementary, see what's working for other people around the world and go and do what you have to do for you, and don't just think that there's only that one option.
"There are many options, go get second opinions."
She said she was fortunate for the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre and the framework they had put in place to support her and her family during treatment.
"The centre offered a social worker, McGrath nurse, psychologist, mindfulness program, massage therapist, and just a place to chill out or wait in between appointments and treatment," she said.
"One of the programs offered last year was an art program, and it appealed to me to be face to face with like-minded women.
"It is more than just art; it is a connection with others that understand what I am going through.
'Cancer doesn't define a person'
"We all support each other in so many ways, and it gets me out of the house once a week.
"It is not just for cancer patients but also for carers, and that is important as well."
She said she was excited about a welling day being offered on May 9 for survivors, and women who had had any type of cancer as well as their partners, family, and friends.
"It's important we look after ourselves on this journey," she said.
Her husband Rex, who owned Butcher's Hook and Cleaver on High Street, Wodonga, was also diagnosed with cancer in 2020; the pair have had to look after one another and have said "family and friends are equally as important".
Mrs McKay said she was looking forward to standing next to another woman at the event, knowing "you don't have to talk, you can listen and hear what other women's experiences are with cancer".
"It's a day that's more than just the activities offered," she said.
Her advice for anyone living with cancer was to have a little bit of hope.
"You can keep living with cancer and know there's breakthroughs being made all the time," she said.
"Remember to breathe, you can't change and get rid of it overnight."
The free event on Thursday, May 9, will be held at The Cube in Wodonga from 10 am-2.30 pm, and bookings can be made online at counterpart.org.au/events/albury-wodonga-wellbeing-day.
