Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/85232
primary breast cancer. Because mum had two different primary breast cancers, I wanted to eliminate every risk." Laila's history of regular check-ups gave her a strong belief that if she did have cancer, that it was early and that there was still plenty of time to act. "I was living in Fiji at the time and had come back for the screening and diagnostics. It was school holidays and we were due to go away skiing and snowboarding for a week. I wanted to wait until the end of the holiday until I got the results and I was amazed how calm I felt about the whole thing… much more than I would have expected. For me, that has been one of the real insights into the whole process. Sometimes we worry more about what might happen and then we cope quite well with the things that do eventuate." Laila carried out her treatment at the St Marks Breast Centre in Auckland and her operation at Brightside Hospital. "Many women say that they were pleased that they waited for reconstruction because it allowed them to properly decide which method to go with. For me, I was happy to get both procedures done simultaneously." Sometimes surgeons use a patient's own body tissue but Laila didn't have enough to spare - one of the downsides of staying active (she has run two marathons this year including a personal best in Wellington in June with 3 hours 54 minutes). With no fat to take for the reconstruction, the recommendation was given to use expander implants which were removed in March this year. "I felt the experience to be quite uncomfortable afterwards," Laila explains. "The process leaves ports under your skin which surgeons use to fill the implants and stretch the muscle over several months. "People then have the option of having nipple reconstruction later and I may or may not do that in the future. At the moment I'm happy with things as they are." Laila opted for the private healthcare option that was available to her through her employer, however she assures that she had complete confidence in the public health system had she taken that option. After spending time in Fiji where women have very few surgical options, and in Samoa where there isn't even a functioning mammogram machine, Laila is particularly appreciative for Breast "EVERY WOMAN KNOWS THAT NERVOUSNESS THAT COMES AS A BUILD UP TO THEIR MAMMOGRAM. EACH TIME I HAD TO CONSCIOUSLY PSYCHE MYSELF INTO IT BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED EACH TIME THEY WOULD FIND SOMETHING." Cancer Aotearoa. "As a country we do a pretty good job with our public health system because we value it. I would say that there are risks in National's policies to the maintenance of core public services like the health service. It's really important that all of us stand up for the strengthening and continuation of our public health system. "In my case there is no doubt that early detection and screening has been a big contributor to what I see as my ability to have faced this." The former lawyer and trade unionist was an MP from 1996 to 2002 for the Alliance Party. Since 2010 she has been working with the International Labour Organisation in Fiji. "After two years in Fiji it is wonderful being back connecting with family and friends. We moved house in May, so we're busy establishing ourselves in a new community and I'm much more keen to be focusing on local activism." In May this year, Laila began working for the Green Party saying she "appreciated the connection between the environment, the economy and society it values". Laila counts herself 'one of the lucky ones' to have been able to contribute to social change over a long period of time. She counts paid parental leave, Kiwibank and improving conditions for collective bargaining as major features of the Alliance's legacy. Since then she has worked for the Nurses Organisation, the National Distribution Union, the Auckland Transition Agency and