Emma was given a stage-four breast cancer diagnosis in January, even though she had been doing “everything right” with her health and had diligently scheduled a mammography annually since turning 40.
Because the cancer had spread to her liver and lymph nodes, doctors warned that she could only have two years to live.
The sole sign was a little, firm bump on her breast in December, which she promptly attributed to a gym injury.
How could there be more? She was feeling better than before. No discomfort, no exhaustion, nothing unusual.
“I got the lump examined at the doctor and they told me it was more likely just going to be a funny tissue,” Emma, a hairdresser and the owner of Pony Hair Studio, told FEMAIL.
“I couldn’t get in for an ultrasound and a mammogram for four weeks because everywhere was busy and it was Christmas, so I didn’t really worry about it.”
“The first week of January was the first time I could get an appointment. As soon as I’d done the ultrasound, a doctor came in and said that it was very hard and I should prepare for it being cancerous.”
Emma, still in shock, left for a biopsy at 8 a.m. the following day.
She received the devastating news the same day the results were received. Her breast cancer was aggressive and double-positive.
“At the start they told me it was stage two but that it was pretty much curable,” Emma said.
“At that point it was horrendous but I was assuming I’d have eight weeks of recovery after surgery and then be cancer-free.”
Emma underwent a breast MRI and PET scan a week later. She went back to see her stony-faced surgeon seven days later, and he gave her more awful news. Her liver had small, probably malignant lesions.
“I went in last Tuesday and the surgeon told me that if it was in the liver he wouldn’t be able to operate anymore… and that he was going to move me on to an oncologist,” Emma said.
“They told me they’re not sure “what path” we can take. They said there’s no surgery, there’s no chemo and that I’ll be given a hormone injection every 28 days and two pills to take a day.”
