It had always been Ann Rahn’s dream to become a flight nurse with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) but even when she had completed her qualifications and her dream job came along, there were challenges. In 2021, in the midst of Covid lockdowns, Ann was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer but while still undergoing treatment in 2023, she grabbed the opportunity to become a flight nurse with the RFDS at Broken Hill. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ann tells her story.
Growing up my family moved around Australia a lot working in various states and regions so I understood the impacts on health living in remote areas and always wanted to become a nurse and work in remote regions.
My desire to work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service started 28 years ago before becoming a nurse when I lived in Goondiwindi, Queensland and had to be flown to Toowoomba for a possible ectopic pregnancy. Thankfully my pregnancy was ok and that baby is now a 28-year-old man about to get married.
Years later I was able to become a nurse and again my passion for the remote regions was ignited. I have been privileged to work in some awesome remote regions of Australia and work alongside the Royal Flying Doctor Service teams, which gave me a great insight into the work that they are doing. It still took me years to get to where I am today.
By 2020 I was living in Darwin with my husband Wayne and working as a student midwife. The Covid pandemic broke out and late in the year Wayne had found a job in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and despite travel restrictions he was able to get to Broome and was working there. I was due to transfer to Port Hedland in January 2021 so stayed in Darwin until then.
In December 2020 I was in the shower and I noticed a sore spot in my right breast. I went to my GP who found a lump and referred me for an urgent mammogram. In Darwin that took three weeks.
I was called in for an urgent appointment for my GP to give me the results and he said to me “looking at the mammogram it looks like you have breast cancer”. I looked at him dumbfounded and became teary. I was supposed to be leaving Darwin that weekend. So I got referred to a surgeon in Perth.
Wayne and I travelled to Port Hedland to drop off our belongings and then made the two-day drive to Perth to meet with the specialist. From there, there was more scans, biopsies and they confirmed that I had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and I would have to start chemotherapy.
I spent the majority of 2021 fighting my breast cancer with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, surgery and radiation while attempting to work as a midwife to obtain the skills required for a flight nurse.
Wayne and I travelled to Port Hedland to drop off our belongings and then made the two-day drive to Perth to meet with the specialist. From there, there was more scans, biopsies and they confirmed that I had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and I would have to start chemotherapy.
I spent the majority of 2021 fighting my breast cancer with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, surgery and radiation while attempting to work as a midwife to obtain the skills required for a flight nurse.
I had another interaction with the RFDS as a patient during my treatment when I was flown from the Pilbara region to Perth for treatment of a severe infection.
Despite the challenges I faced, with the support of my husband and friends, I decided that I would continue to chase my dream job and in 2023 I was successful in securing a job as a flight nurse based at Broken Hill.
As a flight nurse over the last 18 months, I have assisted many people during the worst time in their life. It is a rewarding experience and I have loved every minute of it.
I still attend the local hospital here in Broken Hill every 21 days to undergo immunotherapy to maintain the status of no evidence of active disease and give me the ability to continue as a flight nurse for RFDS at the Broken Hill base.
October is not only a month that reminds me of the journey I have been on since February 2021 but is also the month that I undergo yearly testing to ensure that I have remained with no evidence of active disease.
When I started as a nurse, a stage 4 metastatic diagnosis was basically a death sentence. However the advances have meant that with early detection and treatment, the outcome is so much more positive.
I would encourage everyone to regularly check their breasts for lumps or signs of pain. And for women, especially those over 50, make sure you stay up-to-date with your mammograms. If you notice anything unusual, get it checked and do it quickly. Hearing the diagnosis is life-changing, but I am proof you can get through it, and it doesn’t have to stop you reaching your dreams.
Ann RahnMy time with Flying Doctor so far has been excellent, with great support from my Senior Flight Nurse, other flight nurses, the doctors and the pilots, and I am proud to be delivering the finest care to the furthest corner.
