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Aussie woman's weight loss miracle

Photos: Tertius Pickard


When Gold Coast woman Sally Krimmer looks in the mirror these days, she likes what she sees – and so she should!
Not only does the 39-year-old look like a new woman after slimming down to 65kg from a peak of 112kg, she also has a new lease on life after beating breast cancer. And Sally has her svelte bod to thank for giving her a fighting chance – the cancer may not have been found in time had she not slimmed down.

‘I was faced with not one, but two big battles – one with the weight, and the other was life or death,’ explains Sally of her three-year journey battling both obesity and cancer.

Going back to February 2009, Sally recalls the day that spurred her on to change her eating habits – and ultimately saved her from an early grave. ‘I’d been on a steady downhill since 2000 and after being 63kg most of my adult life, I was suddenly tipping the scales at around 112kg,’ she says.

‘I’d been in a food court the day before I made the decision and realised everyone was looking at me. Then I went shopping – I was in one of those big size stores and stopped myself mid-sentence asking the assistant for a size 24.

‘The day after, I woke up, took a good hard look in the mirror – and the rest, I am thankful to say, is history,’ she smiles.

After reading everything she could get her hands on, Sally found a food program that suited her needs. ‘I was introduced to this 12-step concept designed to set people free from their addiction – it’s hardcore but I needed [something] drastic,’ she says.

‘It’s basically no carbs and lots of protein, fruit and vegetables – sensible and nutritious.’

And it worked. Not only was Sally losing weight, she was also powering her way through the first year of a nursing degree.
‘I was down to 74kg, exercising, eating well and could see my goal weight of 63kg in my sights – life was looking good.’
But then things turned upside down. ‘I was in the shower and I thought my right breast felt different to the left. I had this feeling something was wrong.’

Her gut feeling was right. After undergoing her first mammogram at age 37, and a follow-up biopsy, Sally was diagnosed with an advanced malignant breast tumour – medically known as ‘multifocal’. ‘I just sat there completely gutted. Every thought goes through your mind – am I going to die? Has it spread anywhere else? ‘And then I said to myself: “I can do this, I can beat it – I’ve been brave and courageous before... so I can do it again.”’

But the news was not good. Since the tumour was growing towards the nipple, doctors could not save her right breast.
‘At that point, honestly I didn’t care. As long as I was going to live, that’s all that mattered,’ she says.


Then: ‘It’s like a complete stranger,’ Sally says of her ‘before’ photo, taken on Christmas Day 2008. ‘I’m never going back!’

Now: Feeling and looking great, Sally says: ‘I urge all women to get regular check-ups and mammograms – it saved my life.’

After the surgery, Sally was given one piece of good news: the cancer had not spread – or so her doctors thought. ‘As a precautionary measure, I underwent a CT scan just a few weeks after my surgery. Again I got that feeling something was wrong – and sure enough, they found cysts on my ovaries. ‘I was advised to have a full hysterectomy. I thought: “Here
I go again, back on the operating table!”’ she says. Sally struggled as the news sunk in, knowing her dream to have her own children was never going to happen.

After two major operations, she now faced 18 weeks of chemo. ‘The worst part was dropping my food program and gaining weight, rather than losing again – I just couldn’t cope with everything at once,’ she recalls. But fast forward to the present and Sally’s well and truly on track with every single part of her life.

Currently preparing for reconstructive surgery on her breast, she is pleased to have a clean bill of health. She’s also back at uni, after earning credits and distinctions last year. And on top of all that, she’s kept going with the weight loss. ‘I’m down to 65kg and the happiest I’ve ever been. If I hadn’t lost the weight I would never have found the cancer, so I consider myself lucky,’ she says. ‘And who knows? I’m turning 40 this year, and now that I’m back to being a size 12 from a size 24, I might finally find that knight in shining armour!’

By Lizzie Wilson
Photos: Tertius Pickard