'I was celebrating my new boobs when my surgeon FaceTimed me. Within weeks, I was in hospital.'

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For Elizabeth Sweet, deciding to have cosmetic surgery at 58 was about rebuilding her confidence and rediscovering herself after the breakdown of her marriage.

"I've always been known as a proud 'booby woman'," she told Mamamia.

"My boobs practically walked into the room before I did. But after raising four children and breastfeeding them, they'd changed, as any mother would understand.

"When I started a new relationship later in life, I didn't want to feel self-conscious or hide behind clothes. I just wanted to reclaim a part of myself."

Elizabeth had recently found love again, and for the first time in decades, she wanted to invest in herself.

Watch: Dr. Maryam explains the auxiliary tail and how breast tissue development works from the embryonic stage, emphasising the importance of checking beyond just the breast area for lumps. Post continues after video.

"As a hairdresser, I've spent my whole life making other people look and feel their best. So deciding to do something for me felt strange, but empowering. It was like finally giving myself permission to be the client for once."

By chance, Elizabeth met her future surgeon at a hair industry conference.

"We were paired up for a game and started chatting about her favourite surgeries," she recalled. "Later, we did a little swap, a hairstyle for a breast consultation."

Elizabeth chose to pursue a breast reduction and lift. The surgery went well, and she woke up feeling lighter, more confident and happier.

"For the first time in years, I recognised the woman looking back at me in the mirror," Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth went home to Sydney just in time for Christmas, excited to start the new year feeling like herself again.

"I was celebrating with my new boobs," she said. "They were perfect. I finally felt good in my skin."

But it wasn't long before everything changed.

"I got a FaceTime call from my surgeon. I'll never forget her face," Elizabeth said.

"She explained that they'd sent 14 samples of tissue for routine testing, and eight had come back positive for cancer."

At the time, the doctors didn't know how much cancer had been left behind, or if it had spread.

"That surgery didn't just change my life — it saved it," Elizabeth said.

"Even now, I have no feeling in my chest," Elizabeth shared.

Within weeks, Elizabeth underwent a double mastectomy, followed by three reconstructive surgeries.

"The hardest part was saying goodbye to a part of my womanhood," she said.

"With reconstructive surgery, you don't get to choose your breasts. Everything becomes about what's medically possible, not what you want."

The physical recovery was gruelling and included months of expanders, skin grafts and pain.

"Even now, I have no feeling in my chest," Elizabeth said. "The scars are permanent reminders every time I look in the mirror.

"When you're in it, you just keep going. But once you stop, the emotional weight crashes down.

"There were days I couldn't recognise myself, or the woman I used to be."

It took another 12 months before Elizabeth was able to process what she'd been through physically and emotionally.

"I'd spent so long in survival mode that I hadn't stopped to rest, to feel, to process the trauma," she said.

Now, she lives more gently.

"The medication brings brain fog, hot flushes and joint pain. My energy isn't what it used to be," she said.

"But I've learned to listen to my body, to say no when I need to, and to let go of guilt."

These days, she sees self-care not as a luxury, but a necessity.

"I make time for facials, yoga retreats, sitting quietly in nature," Elizabeth said.

"I've stopped worrying about what I can't control and started nurturing what I can, my body, my mind, and my peace.

"I truly believe things happen for a reason. That breast reduction was meant to happen. It led doctors to find nine centimetres of high-grade cancer before it could spread."

But, she warns other women not to leave things to chance.

"Get your breast checks," she said.

"Don't put it off. Don't think it can't happen to you. We never know what's around the corner, and every day we get is a gift."

Learn more about the breasts and the importance of breast checking by reading these stories next:

• 'I had to lose you to find myself.' A letter to my boobs after my double mastectomy.

• 'I've never liked my boobs. Then I had a breast cancer scare.'

• 'It was easily missed.' These women did a self breast check. This is what they found.

Feature image: Supplied.