Hi my name is Melissa, I’m 28 years old and I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. It all started on Monday the 4th of October when I was taking my bra off to jump in the shower late at night and my breast felt painfully sore. I felt my right breast and found a big lump, rock hard like a golf ball! Straight away I had a really bad feeling it was cancer! I kept telling myself I would be fine, it was just a cyst. In my heart I knew that it wasn’t.
The next morning when I got up and flew to LA (I’m a Flight Attendant). I arrived home on the Friday and on Saturday morning I told mum I had found a lump and burst into tears. She said “Go to the doctors now!” So my friend Helen came and sat in the waiting room with me. When I saw the doctor she said it was normally a good sign that it was sore as it usually means it’s not cancer (she was so wrong) and that it was most likely a cyst. Monday morning I had an ultrasound. The doctor was called in to have a look (which I knew wasn’t a good sign). He then told me that it looked like a cyst that had bleed and I would need a biopsy done. On Tuesday I went to have the biopsies taken and was once again told it was probably just a cyst due to my age.
The following Friday, I headed off to LA again as I started to feel confident that it was only a cyst. I landed in Sydney on Monday morning and as I drove home on the F3 that afternoon I started to stress thinking, “Does my mortgage protection cover me for breast cancer?” I headed straight to the doctors. At about 5.45pm on Monday the 18th of October I saw the doctor and she said “What can I do for you?” “I’m here for the results of my biopsy” “Oh, yes I don’t think I was terribly happy with them”. She started to read the report. I heard the words MALIGNANT CARCINOMA and I burst into tears. “So it is a form of cancer” she says “an invasive ductal carcinoma which form in the milk ducts of the breast tissue”. The doctor asked me if I had a partner waiting outside. “No, I’m here alone”. She called mum while I sat alone starring at the wall for 25mins drinking a cup of tea. It felt like the longest time in my life! Then every thing happened so quickly!
On Wednesday I met with a Surgeon to discuss my options available, Thursday I had a mammogram and Friday I had a cat scan. On Friday I also meet with a second surgeon. I burst into tears when he said he could operate on me the following Wednesday. It was only day five and I hadn’t even had a chance to deal with it myself. So, on Wednesday the 27th of October I had my first operation, a lumpectomy. A week later I received the great news that my nodes were clear and the bad news that my margins were not and I needed another operation as there was DCIS present. I was informed that I had a high grade three aggressive triple negative tumour .I went back the following Wednesday and had my second operation to remove the surrounding tissue with the results coming back clear. The first few weeks of my diagnosis were the hardest. After the tumour was removed I felt relieved to know that the cancer was no longer in my body. I am very thankful to my beautiful family and great friends who are very supportive and have helped me so far through this journey.
I am participating in the Mother’s Day Classic as I want to help raise the awareness to younger females that breast cancer can happen at an early age. My team “The Roaring Twenties” consists of three other girls in their twenties who are also currently undergoing treatment. Our mothers, family and friends will be joining us in the walk. I am looking forward to the event and helping to raise as much funds possible to help find a cure.
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