‘My bridesmaid dress saved my life’

Erin Doyle felt happy and beautiful in her bridesmaid’s dress. But moments after this selfie was taken, her life would change forever.

Erin's life would change forever after this wedding selfie.

When Erin Doyle snapped this happy selfie at her best friend’s wedding, she never imagined her life would change forever just moments later.

The Sydney lawyer recalls how it was the “perfect” wedding day, full of love, laughter and excitement as she watched the beautiful bride prepare to walk down the aisle.

A few champagnes deep, with her hair and makeup looking perfect, Erin was doing one final readjustment of her stunning bridesmaid’s dress when she felt something that shouldn’t have been there.

A breast lump.

“My heart began racing and I broke out in a cold sweat,” the 29-year-old told news.com.au.

Erin snapped this stunning bridesmaid picture at her friend's wedding. Picture: Supplied

“I was in the bridal retreat getting ready, it was the usual fun atmosphere. The champagne was flowing, the music was pumping, and we were getting our hair and makeup done.

“We began taking some ‘before’ pictures with the professional photographer, and I decided to adjust myself into my strapless bra, as you do.

“When I scooped under my right breast, I felt a lump under the surface that I’d never felt before.

“I instantly broke out into a cold sweat as I continued to press on the lump. It felt like a rubber ball a few centimetres below the surface.”

What began as a carefree and joyful day quickly turned into one of fear and anxiety, but Erin did her best to calm herself down in that moment.

She put on a brave face and tried to be the best bridesmaid she could be, even giving a killer speech.

But as she sat in her Uber on the way home, she burst into tears.

She took this selfie with the bride. Moments later, she felt a lump. Picture: Supplied

“Of course, it wasn’t the right time to share what I’d discovered. It would have ruined the wedding vibe, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

“I kept telling myself it was probably nothing, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the day. It was the most gorgeous wedding for two of my closest friends.

“I ended up sending my mum a text about the lump, and she told me to see a GP the following day.

“After it hit about 9:30pm, I quietly excused myself from the wedding and got an Uber home with my partner.

“It might have been from too much champagne, but I cried on the way home. Something just didn’t feel right.”

Erin was up in Queensland to attend the wedding at the time she discovered the lump, so decided to see a local doctor just to be safe.

Once she was back home in Sydney, she went in for an ultrasound and then a needle biopsy, which took a small sample of the lump for testing.

Erin sent her mum a worried text after finding the lump. Picture: Supplied

Erin’s doctor then called her back to discuss the results.

Sadly, it was not the good news she was hoping for.

“When I was called back to my GP, it was just over a month since I found the lump,” she said.

“My partner was attending the appointment with me. Then the doctor said ‘I’m very sorry, it is cancer’.

“When I heard that, it felt like time suddenly sped up but also stood still. My partner began crying and I was consoling her, but I wasn’t crying yet.

“I was in total shock. I still made a few jokes to lighten the mood.”

It took some time for doctors to figure out what kind of cancer Erin had.

Although they knew the lesion was oestrogen positive, there was some “confusing” characteristics.

After seeking expert help, they discovered it was a solid papillary cancer (SPC). However, this type of cancer being present in the breast is extremely rare, with an incidence of less than 1 per cent.

Erin had the lump removed, before undergoing chemo and radiation therapies. Picture: Supplied

Her mother urged her to see a doctor right away. Picture: Supplied

“The doctors said they could only find one other recorded case of what I was going through in medical literature,” she said.

“High-grade, aggressive, SPC in a young woman is extremely rare. The unusual nature of my cancer had the doctors scratching their heads.

“It took a few weeks before I knew what was next in terms of what treatment was best.”

Surgeons removed the lump from Erin’s breast, which was followed by three months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation.

All her treatments took place at the Chris O’Brien lifehouse, which is a cancer treatment centre in Sydney’s inner west.

During this process, Erin wore a cooling cap on her head to help prevent hair loss due to the chemotherapy and radiation.

The treatments were gruelling, but worth it. Picture: Supplied

She froze some of her eggs just in case she wishes to have children in the future. Picture: Supplied

“The cooling cap is a tight cap that you wear which cools down your hair follicles so that the chemo drugs cannot get into the hair,” she explained.

“It doesn’t work for everyone, but thankfully it did for me. It is uncomfortable and you need to wear it for five hours each session.

“But it was worth it to keep my hair and feel somewhat normal during my treatment, and to not lose my identity.”

Another difficult aspect of her treatment was that she was forced to go through menopause at just 28 years old.

Before this occurred, she froze her eggs so that it would not affect her ability to have children in the future.

“I was placed into a chemical-induced menopause so that I do not produce too much oestrogen, which is what the cancer feeds on,” she said.

Her partner Maryanne has always been by her side. Picture: Supplied

“This happens by getting a monthly hormone injection into my stomach. This switches off my ovaries so they no longer produce oestrogen, as well as having a daily tablet.

“I’ll need to continue this for about 5–10 years. I froze some eggs before my treatment just just in case I want to have children in the future.

“There is a chance that I’ll start ovulating naturally in the future and get pregnant, however I could also become infertile due to the treatment damaging my eggs and ovaries.

“But as I’m in a same-sex relationship, I would always need to go through IVF anyway.”

After taking six months off work for treatment, she is now slowly returning to work and having some sense of normalcy.

This experience has changed her as a person in many ways, and while she is grateful to have gotten through it, there is always the fear that the cancer may return.

Erin is sharing her story to raise awareness and urge others to advocate for their own health. Picture: Supplied

Erin continues to be treated by the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, and she is now an ambassador for their ‘Go The Distance’ fundraising challenge, urging others to get involved.

Her dad even raised $30,000 for the organisation last year as a way of showing gratitude for her treatment.

Erin is sharing her story to help raise awareness and to urge others to be an advocate for their own health.

“Having breast cancer in your twenties is quite rare,” she said.

“So I think it’s easy for people to dismiss it. But never ignore it when you find a lump.

“If you delay, there is more chance it might spread to other parts of your body, and then you can be having a very different conversation in terms of prognosis.

“Insist on having a biopsy to be sure.

“Be your own advocate, especially if you are a young woman.”

Originally published as ‘My bridesmaid dress saved my life’