It was supposed to be a time of great joy, December 24th, 2007 and my little baby’s first Christmas. Unfortunately I was in quite a bit of pain from a lump I had developed in my right breast. I was breastfeeding at the time and assumed I had a blocked milk duct. I decided that if it was still sore after Christmas I would see my doctor.

On December 27th I went to see my GP but she was on holiday so I saw the other doctor in her clinic. I was prescribed antibiotics but told to come back a week later to see my regular GP for a check up. The pain disappeared but the lump did not. When I saw her she was very concerned and booked me in to see a breast surgeon and to have an immediate ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed the solid mass in my breast but stated that it appeared to be a milk cyst.

The following week I went to my breast surgeon to get it drained. After a few tries with different sized needles (ouch!!) the lump wouldn’t drain. A fine needle biopsy was performed.

A week later I was sent for a core biopsy as the results weren’t conclusive. Instinctively I knew things were looking grim. During the biopsy I was trying to read the faces of the staff in the room and panic was setting in. I was so scared and with very good reason.
After four more days of waiting I went to my breast surgeon to get my results. I went by myself as I didn’t want to worry my husband. The news was pretty bad. It was an aggressive breast cancer, triple negative, grade 3. I felt as if I had been kicked in the stomach and couldn’t breathe…for the second time in my life. The first time was at the age of 14.

My mother had been complaining of pains in her pelvic region. She was diagnosed with Ovarian Cysts and she was booked for surgery to remove them. When they opened her up she did not have cysts. It was advanced ovarian cancer that had spread considerably. Over the next three years she fought so hard with three separate types of chemotherapy, each cycle making her so severely ill that she needed to be hospitalized for three days. It was heartbreaking to watch and see your mother suffering so much. Eventually we were told that no more treatment was available and she passed away in 1994. I felt that part of me died also on that day and I knew I would never be the same person again.

The time of my diagnosis was a blur. I was a shaking mess and so grateful to meet the most wonderful breast care nurse imaginable. She sat and talked with me while my breast surgeon organized my lumpectomy. I was also so concerned about my son who was 9 months old. I was told I would need to wean him immediately and I knew he wouldn’t take a bottle. He wanted real boobs or nothing. I ended up taking cabbage leaves to hospital stuffed in my bra. The last thing I wanted was to get mastitis. Luckily my milk dried up fairly quickly without anymore complications.


After my lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy we had more bad news. The sentinel node was positive for cancer meaning an axillary clearance was required. As my cancer was linked to having a genetic mutation it was decided a mastectomy was best.
A few weeks after surgery I began chemotherapy. To give me the best chance of a cure I had dose dense AC (every 2 weeks) for 4 cycles and 12 weekly taxols. The AC was so difficult, the nausea was horrible and I felt poisoned. I was always very anxious about losing my hair as it had been long all of my life. Organising a wig and beanies to wear for winter made me feel more prepared for when it did fall out.  Chemotherapy finished in July, 2008. Two weeks later I began genetic testing.

I had 3 week break from treatment before starting radiotherapy. It was every weekday for 5 weeks. I was okay until week 4, when the fatigue and burning set in. I also developed a skin infection and the burn was very painful. It took every bit of strength I had to go back for my last treatment.

In October I got the call that my genetic testing results were in. They were extremely unusual with two positive results. I have BRCA 1 and 2 mutations. Apparently there are only 32 known families to have both mutations in the world.

I am about to begin the next stage of my journey. I am having a prophylactic mastectomy and also beginning to have a breast reconstruction. Although I am very nervous, I cannot wait. No more worry about a new primary breast cancer, as well as getting new breasts.

It is 18 months since my cancer diagnosis and each month that goes by cancer free is a blessing that gives me confidence that I might defy my genetic status.