'I'm 35 and have just months to live. All I can think about is my six kids.'

With six children and a loving husband, Susan has been told she has just months to live.

It's a reality that is heartbreaking and one she never anticipated. 

It all began when she was expecting her fifth child. Early on in the pregnancy she found a little lump in one of her breasts. Some of her doctors assumed it was a blocked milk duct or something hormone-related. 

But her GP was determined to investigate it further. 

Within a few months that lump had tripled in size, and it was confirmed to be triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

"It was surreal," Susan tells Mamamia. "It's been a devastating time."

Watch: Know Your Normal, a Pink Hope self breast check initiative. Post continues below. 

After some chemotherapy rounds and a surgery, Susan felt optimistic that her cancer was under control. She and her husband went on to have their sixth child, Susan saying "I really wanted another baby, I didn't feel complete".

Fortunately, her sixth pregnancy went off without a hitch. Then a month after she had given birth, she was told the cancer had returned.

"I kept feeling pain around my ribs, it just wouldn't go away. And throughout the pregnancy I had lost a lot of weight during, rather than putting on, which wasn't normal. It was at that point we learned the TNBC had spread to my lungs, ribs, bones, liver and pelvis. I wasn't expecting it," says Susan. 

"My oncologist told me the cancer had spread to too many places now, saying I had less than two years left to live, with treatment. Eventually the limited treatments will stop working and nothing else can be done for me. That was probably the hardest thing I had to hear. All I could think of was my kids."

It's been more than eight months since Susan received this prognosis.

Right now, Susan, who is just 35, is still getting treatment and it's helping keep the cancer at bay. But that won't be the case forever sadly. 

For her loved ones, it's understandably been a difficult time. 

"My mum has taken it pretty hard, especially because we lost my dad last year to leukemia. My husband might be in denial. He still sees I can get the kids to school and I don't look like I'm dying. But it will hit," says Susan.

When one is told they are dying, what follows are a series of important conversations - discussions about logistics, but also the emotions attached to the situation.

Susan tells Mamamia it's been challenging for them as a family to open up about the reality of what's coming, her husband in particular struggling with it all.

"He knows it's going to happen. I can see he's trying to be positive about the whole thing and reminding us to stay positive. He's put up a front," she explains.

"We try to discuss it, but it hasn't been fully spoken on. I don't think he's really had time to process it."

As for how he will cope with their six kids in the future, Susan says her mum has offered to chip in where she can, as well as her friends and her children's school. 

"We have a good community around us," she notes.

Susan and her husband's six kids are all under 10 - Matthew, nine, Kaiden, seven, Mia, six, Logan, four, Jaxon, three and Cooper just eight months old. 

"As for my kids, my oldest know what's happening. We need to be honest about it. My nine-year-old son asked me if our youngest would still be a baby when I die. That was heartbreaking, and I had to be honest and told him there's a good chance.

"I'm trying to get across to my husband that he needs to show the kids it's okay to show emotions. That will help us all through this."

Even though Susan certainly finds joy in the small things now, the stress of everyday life still wanes on her. 

Despite having what is expected to be just months to live, the need to keep a roof over her family's head is still front of mind. 

"I've had to start working a couple of days a week again, just to get money and make sure there's food on the table. So as much as I'd love to do what everyone recommends and 'live your life while you can', it's business as usual. Bills need to be paid and food still needs to be put on the table."

Susan with two of her children. Image: Supplied.

TNBC accounts for approximately 15 per cent of breast cancer diagnoses in Australia every year. 

It is known for being aggressive and is prevalent in younger women. It also has poorer clinical outcomes as shown by higher relapse rates and lower survival rates.

Sarah Powell is the CEO of Pink Hope, which is an Australian non-profit organisation that advocates for educating and preventing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

She also has her own story of surviving breast cancer, after being diagnosed at 29 and subsequently finding she carried the BRCA1 mutation. With two young children who may have inherited this increased risk of cancer, Sarah knows firsthand the emotional struggle so many women who have this type of cancer experience.

"TNBC disproportionately affects younger women. The idea that cancer in general, but even breast cancer, are an older person's disease, isn't true. We're seeing that with these women who have been diagnosed with TNBC. They're young, many have kids, responsibilities, jobs and busy lives and their worlds come crashing down with a devastating diagnosis like this," Sarah tells Mamamia. 

Unlike the five-year survival rate for all breast cancers, which sits at around 92 per cent, for those with advanced metastatic breast cancer, seven in 10 will sadly die within five years of their diagnosis.

What is more, women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation are more likely to develop breast cancer, including TNBC, at a younger age.

A large part of Pink Hope's advocacy is urgently calling for the establishment of a national genetic testing registry.

Despite the burden of hereditary-linked breast cancer and the growth in awareness about genetic testing, no national database currently exists when it comes to genetic testing rates. As Sarah notes, a national registry would help identify certain demographics most affected and help make sure access to testing is equitable across the country. 

"There was a study done recently where they interviewed a number of women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had gone to get a genetic test. Interestingly the results showed that half of those women who got the test, and had a hereditary breast cancer, missed out on having their test subsidised because of the current strict criteria," says Sarah.

"That's a problem that needs addressing - to make sure more women are offered genetic testing."

Recently Pink Hope launched a hard-hitting documentary called Beyond the Diagnosis: Confronting Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Three young mothers living with TNBC have their stories featured in the documentary, one of these women being Susan. 

Susan says that in the time she has left she is determined to "make lots of noise" and raise awareness about TNBC. 

"If enough spotlight is put on this cancer, then hopefully there'll be more treatment options and testing. The other reason I'm sharing my story is to leave behind something for my kids, so they can see how hard I fought. I want them to be proud of me."

Susan's loved ones have created a Go Fund Me in her name to help her family financially during this difficult time. If you would like to contribute, you can do so here. 

To do a self breast check yourself, follow this guide from Pink Hope. 

Feature Image: Supplied.