Woman who uses wheelchair turned away from mammogram appointment
As a quadriplegic on the other side of 50, she takes a proactive approach to her health.
So she recently booked a screening mammogram expecting a simple procedure. It turned out to be anything but.
When she made the appointment with Lumus Imaging, a private imaging service on the Gold Coast, she said she explained her disability and let them know she used an electric wheelchair.
Just days before the scheduled scan, Ms Taylor said she received a call telling her it had to be cancelled because she wasn't able to stand with assistance.
"Standing for me is something I haven't done for 23 years," she said.
Ms Taylor acquired her spinal cord injury in a car accident.
She is paralysed from her chest down and has paralysed hands, but the lawyer, artist and world's first quadriplegic fashion designer will tell you it doesn't stop her from doing much.
Accustomed to advocating for herself, she got on the phone to book the mammogram she knew she was entitled to.
With help from her husband, Robert, she attended Breast Screen Queensland's clinic, where she had her scan quite easily.
Kirsten Pilatti from Breast Cancer Network Australia said all women deserved access to screening but said women with disability did not always have a positive experience.
"This is not the first time we have heard that people with disabilities have felt traumatised, isolated and even shamed with breast screening," she said.
Three weeks after her mammogram, Ms Taylor was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.
Although aggressive, her cancer was caught early, so with chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments, her prognosis is good.
The possible outcome of delaying her mammogram was not lost on her.
"Imagine discovering it at stage four," she said.
Ms Pilatti said early detection saves lives.
Dr Phil Lucas, CEO of Lumus Imaging, said the company takes patient care and accessibility very seriously.
He said women who use wheelchairs can have mammograms at all of its sites, but some might have to book at particular locations for other scans, such as ultrasounds.
"We are reviewing our screening and service protocols to identify where we can better support people with disabilities who need to undertake imaging services," he said.
"As part of that focus, we will deliver training where necessary."
Data shows access to cancer screening can be a matter of life or death for people with disability.
Research Fellow at Melbourne University's Disability Institute, Dr Yi Yang, analysed global data about cancer rates among people with disability.
She said people with disability faced inequalities during the entire process, from screening, through diagnosis and treatment.
"What we found for breast cancer is that people with disability are more likely to miss out on breast cancer screening that can help with early detection," she said.
"People with disability are also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage for breast cancer, which all leads to consistently lower survival rates."
BreastScreen Australia, and the state-based programs that deliver the service, all provide information about accessibility for people with disability.
They list accessible locations and the ways people can be assisted, including extended appointments, sign language interpreters and allowing support people to accompany patients.
However, many also clearly state possible barriers to having a mammogram.
Ms Taylor said Australia's breast screen program currently took a "patchwork" approach to offering information and screening to women who use wheelchairs.
"That can only result in negative impacts for early detection and survival rates," she said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the BreastScreen Australia National Accreditation Standards required services to meet the needs of women with a disability by ensuring physical access for women in wheelchairs, longer appointments were available and staff were appropriately trained.
They also said if a woman with disability was unable to undergo a mammogram, she should be encouraged to discuss other screening options with her GP.
A spokesperson for Queensland Health said BreastScreen Queensland strove to reduce barriers for people with disabilities and support their full participation in screening.
BreastScreen NSW said women who use a wheelchair could have their mammogram while seated and if their wheelchair was unable to be effectively positioned for the X-ray, they could be transferred to a more suitable wheelchair.
Ms Taylor has just completed her fourth round of chemotherapy.
She's lost her hair and become acquainted with the fog of "chemo-brain", but she isn't letting it slow her down.
Throughout her treatment, she has posted videos online to encourage others to have regular checks.
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