I thought I was in the best shape of my life when I found a soft, mobile, round lump in my armpit while in the shower. As a doctor who had previously worked in oncology and palliative care, I thought I knew a lot about cancer, so I wasn’t worried. I assumed the lump was benign because cancerous lumps are usually hard and firm, like a frozen pea.
Plus, I didn’t feel ill or tired in any way. I was working multiple jobs as a general practitioner, running my own private aesthetics clinic and attending military-style fitness classes. I went to the doctor as a routine precaution, and they weren’t worried either.
I was referred to a breast clinic as a precaution. Two weeks later, I had an appointment, and the surgeon didn’t think anything of it. But just to be sure, he advised me to have an ultrasound.
The wait was 90 minutes, and I thought about skipping it. I’m glad I didn’t, because in April 2025, the radiologist said it looked like cancer and that it had already spread. A few weeks later, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and learned it had spread to my lymph nodes.
The first thing I did was fertility preservation treatment to improve my chances of becoming a mom in the future. The National Health Service (NHS) paid for one round of treatment. They collected 18 eggs, which resulted in six frozen embryos with my partner.
In June, I started chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Shortly after, I had another huge shock when I found out I have a BRCA2 gene mutation. More than 60 percent of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA1 or BRCA2 will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
