Mother, Maddy Morphett who was stuck in daycare sickness cycle learns of five centimetre tumour growing in her left underarm

This Yorke Peninsula mum thought she was caught in a cycle of daycare sickness bugs. When she couldn’t get better she went to the doctor and the results were unbelievable.

Maddy Morphett thought she had swollen lymph nodes from the revolving door of daycare bugs brought home from her three-year-old daughter.

She decided to come to Adelaide to a walk-in clinic to get antibiotics, when the doctors sent her to an urgent ultrasound which revealed a five centimetre tumour growing in her left underarm.

“(I) had a good cry,” the Kadina mum told The Advertiser.

On a Friday in June 2023, Ms Morphett underwent a range of tests when a nurse told her to go home and spend quality time with her family because come Monday her life would be turned upside down.

“The biopsy results came back inconclusive,” the 28-year-old said.

Maddy Morphett, who has started intensive oral cancer treatment for an extremely rare form of locally aggressive and invasive sarcoma, with her daughter Evelyn. Picture: Supplied

Maddy was diagnosed with a non-metastatic soft tissue cancer. Picture: Supplied

Ms Morphett said while nobody had seen anything like it before but the scans showed it was cancer.

By July, she was referred to a breast cancer clinic for a lumpectomy, which was later cancelled by the surgeons.

“The rest of the team looked at it and decided it was an aggressive desmoid type fibromatosis sarcoma which should not be operated on,” she said.

“When we were told the surgery was cancelled we were told it was a locally aggressive cancer but it ‘won’t kill you’.”

Essentially Ms Morphett was diagnosed with sarcoma — a rare form of non metastatic soft tissue cancer.

Maddy with her daughter Evelyn and husband Harley. Picture: Supplied

Following the cancellation Ms Morphett saw a surgeon with sarcoma experience who she said decided to go with the “watch and wait” approach.

“(We) were constantly told ‘good news, there hasn’t been any growth’ while I was slowly losing function, increasing pain, and intense fatigue,” she said.

Ms Morphett said she asked her doctor to refer to her for an MRI which in November 2023 had grown to 7.5cm.

She also was referred to an oncologist which prescribed her an oral cancer treatment which Ms Morphett is currently taking.

“I’m struggling with brain fog, fatigue, nausea, no appetite, skin rashes, blistering hands and feet, mouth sores,” she said.

Maddy said she has been experiencing a lot of ‘mum guilt’ since taking the oral cancer treatment. Picture: Supplied

For Ms Morphett it has been exceptionally difficult to go through this and be there for her three-year-old daughter Evelyn.

“It’s has been really hard as my daughter is an active little girl and when you feel like you wake up on zero per cent battery everyday it’s hard to keep up,” she said.

“When I have days where I’m bed bound with debilitating pain she misses me and wants me to come along to her activities or play with her.

“I get a lot of mum guilt.”

Maddy said going through cancer has been extremely stressful on her family. Picture: Supplied

Ms Morphett is quite anxious but hopeful about the current treatment she is taking.

“I’m hoping it works so I can return to a normal life afterwards,” she said.

“As a family it has been very stressful as there has been lots of back and forth between home and Adelaide.
“The financial strain has been hard as I’ve been on many different medications and therapies to help manage the pain and symptoms.”

If you’d like to donate to Maddy, you can here.