Linda's story

Linda was 28-weeks pregnant with her second son when she noticed a small lump in her breast.

Dismissed as a blocked milk duct, Linda’s cancer grew silently below the surface until a blood clot was discovered in her breastmilk while breastfeeding her newborn son.

“It was 2021 and life was good. I was working full time, was part way through my doctoral studies in business leadership and enjoying a routine and blissful pregnancy," Linda said.

“At home one morning I noticed what felt like a tictac sized lump in my right breast. It seemed innocuous at first, nothing more than a blip in my otherwise normal pregnancy. For the next five months I was reassured by midwives and hospital doctors that the lump was just a blockage in my milk duct. I was only 36 and trusted my health care professionals who were not concerned.

Little did I know, this small, seemingly insignificant lump was an aggressive cancer and would become the epicentre of my life, and my family’s lives, for years to come.Linda

“When my little boy was just four weeks old, I found a blood clot in his mouth after feeding that had come from my breastmilk. That’s when the unravelling began. I took my son to my regular GP for his six-week check-up and mentioned the lump for one last time. My doctor was shocked the lump had been dismissed for so long and immediately booked me for an ultrasound and biopsy. My GP saved my life that day.

"A 5cm spider-like cancer had grown in my right breast and I was diagnosed with Stage 2, HER2+ breast cancer. Further testing revealed I carried a BRCA1 gene mutation despite having no family history.

"Chemo quickly commenced, ushering in a whirlwind of physical torment. My hair fell out, my fingernails fell off and after six relentless months of treatment, the chemo didn’t kill the cancer. If anything, it had mutated into triple negative. Then, following my double mastectomy, I commenced a further 12 months of an immunotherapy /chemotherapy drug, a beacon of hope that has only been available in more recent years through advanced research. Unfortunately the side effects left me with heart problems, a pulmonary embolism and osteoarthritis – a reminder etched into my bones along with a lifetime of medications.

During this whole experience, holding my baby– once a simple act of love – became difficult.Linda

"My youngest, born into a world of chaos, has never seen his mother with hair and my eldest has had to grow up so fast. I was also plagued with fears of whether I would see my newborn baby celebrate his first birthday or my kids start school.

“Because I have the BRCA 1 gene mutation, I now have a more than 45% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Sometimes I feel like a ticking time bomb, and I know that one way or another, once my treatment is finished, I will need to have my ovaries removed as a preventative measure.

“During the isolation and sadness of those agonising early months of treatment I founded the BEAT Movement (Breast cancer Education Awareness and Training) as a way of raising awareness of the prevalence of young women with breast cancer.

It is devastating. I plea for research, and for a future where no woman faces a darkness like this. We are literally dying while we wait for new research and treatments.Linda