
A trip to the GP for a young woman is often one filled with anxiety, with the worst-case scenario almost always being the C word.
In August 2023, at 28 years old, that fear was realised for me. I sat in the medical room with my very kind GP as she walked me through the details she knew from the biopsy, as my boyfriend jumped in a taxi from work. I had breast cancer.
While you're here, watch the story of Lea, an international exchange student who at 21 years of age was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Post continues after video.
Within half an hour, my parents were in the car driving to Sydney from rural NSW. Within four hours, I was sitting across from my oncological team — hearing that I would need to undergo IVF before one year of treatment commenced.
I was to undergo chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and surgery. I would be put into medical menopause to protect my fertility. I would lose my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Sitting across from me in her pink shirt was my McGrath Breast Care Nurse Alex — the person who became my translator of the world of cancer I knew nothing about.