As a primary health care nurse, Sonja sees daily the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of health issues among her patients.

However, she also discovered the benefits herself on a more personal level.

Sonja was suffering from severe headaches and nausea, so she went for a medical check-up.

Through this, she discovered she had Chiari malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal.  

After undergoing surgery, Sonja says she has now recovered from the brain condition that threatened to severely limit her mobility. 

“I now lead a pain-free life, run half-marathons and tend to my half-acre garden in Melbourne’s Yarra Ranges without any problems,” she says.

Sonja’s advice this Women’s Health Week is to never “brush aside” symptoms.

“It’s your body trying to tell you something,” she says. “Take it from me, it’s really important to get health checks.”

Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak professional body for the 82,000 nurses working in primary healthcare settings including general practices, aged care facilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health clinics.

APNA believe regular health checks and screenings should be an essential part of every woman’s health routine. APNA has partnered with Jean Hailes and Women’s Health Week to remind all women and girls to know about, and to stay up to date with, their health checks.

They are also reminding their members – 98% of whom are female – that self-care is just as important for nurses as it is for patients.

For more information on health checks, visit jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/health-checks