Seven months after she announced live on air that she had been diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, the ABC Gold Coast breakfast presenter yesterday appeared at the Gold Coast Turf Club as the official ambassador for the Pink Ribbon Cup Raceday.

After six rounds of chemotherapy and a mastectomy, Nicole says the fight isn’t quite over … but she feels like she’s in a winning position.

Donning a designer gown and bare head, she’s the perfect picture of inspiration and strength … qualities that she hopes to pay forward to those in need, just as others did for her.

“I will do anything and everything I can to promote breast cancer awareness and fundraise for research. Those very things have saved my life.

“I could not have made it through the last seven months without the support of other women who have gone through this, not to mention the amazing breast cancer nurses. This is my turn to give people hope – you can go through this and come out the other side … in a Sonia Stradiotto gown no less.”

While her positive attitude has never wavered, Nicole admits her journey was tougher than she expected.

Despite suffering severe fatigue, Nicole incredibly managed to continue working throughout chemotherapy treatment.

“As soon as I was diagnosed I said to my boss that I wanted to keep working, it was so important to me to not have too much time on my hands … to not go down the rabbit hole of darkness.

“When you go through this, there is a sense of being disconnected, there is true brain fog. At times I was almost paranoid, asking people whether or not I was making sense.

“I had six rounds of chemo so the first week was the treatment itself, then the second week I would help produce the breakfast and morning shows from home and the third week I’d start to feel normal again so I’d come in to the studio to present on-air.

“But with every chemo round, the effects get worse. It’s like being in a bad rip, you just get over one wave and then another set comes in to smash you.

“By the time I finished the sixth round, I knew I needed to stop for a moment, especially with surgery around the corner.

“I’d run a good race but I needed to stretch and catch my breath. I still have fatigue now and moments when I’m cloudy but it’s much better. I look back now and think, how the hell did I do that? I must be mad.”

Fittingly, the very purpose of the Pink Ribbon race day, to raise money for research through the National Breast Cancer Fund (NBCF), is part of the reason why Nicole’s treatment proved so successful.

Research supported by the NBCF has shown that chemo before surgery is more effective than the traditional surgery-first route, although Nicole says it was not without its own challenges.

“My initial thought when I found out my lump was cancer was ‘just get it out’.

“It is a little hard to know that it’s still in you during those months of chemo, but I knew that if this was the best form of treatment, then that’s what I would do.

“The surgery itself was so surreal. I had to be at the hospital by 6am but the surgery itself was not until 1pm … that’s a lot of thinking time.

“Then suddenly I’m lying in theatre thinking: this is it. I looked down at my boob and said goodbye.

“I woke up three hours later and I just couldn’t look down. I was so surprised by my reaction because I’d always been so matter-of-fact about everything. But for three days I couldn’t look at my scar.

“It’s a lot to take in. I was connected to all of these tubes, to the horrific drain bag … plus I knew a biopsy had been done on my lymph nodes and in three days I’d find out if it had spread or not.”

Nicole says why her surgeon and doctors looked after her physical health, it was the nurses and Cancer Council Queensland who provided mental and emotional support.

She says that, ultimately, cancer takes its toll almost as much on the mind as it does the body.

“I remember the day when the surgeon came in to tell me the results of the lymph node biopsy. He walked in with a breast cancer nurse and I just thought ‘uh-oh’.

“It’s like getting called into the boss’s office and the HR person is there … it’s not a good sign.

“But then he had a big smile and said it was great news … my cancer had not spread.

“When he left, I just had this huge surge of emotion, and it wasn’t what I was expecting – I just felt such absolute guilt.

“I was crying happy tears but also just feeling so bad. I turned to the breast cancer nurse, she had a mastectomy five years ago, and I asked why I felt so guilty for being okay?

“She said it’s totally normal. That you spend so much time being ready for whatever the outcome is, that you can’t take it all in as positive news. It’s like a survivor’s guilt.

“As soon as I got out of hospital I had to work on my post-op care, and for me that also meant calling Cancer Queensland straight away and asking for counselling, which has been fantastic.

“Right now, six weeks after surgery, I still feel numb. It’s all been so much to process, so I’m letting myself take my time.”

Of course, in the midst of chemo and surgery there were also Covid hurdles for Nicole to handle – including the challenge of being vaccinated.

She says despite being in category 1b, it was difficult to source the jab.

“I registered with Queensland Health but after six weeks I heard nothing so I rang around and ended up going to the Upper Coomera health centre. I got my second shot four weeks before surgery, it was close – I knew that I had no immune system thanks to the treatment, so it was important to protect myself.

“I was prepared for some side effects but I think, after chemo, Pfizer didn’t even touch the sides. I didn’t feel anything.

“But I was so lucky in terms of lockdowns. I went into hospital on the Tuesday, came home on the Friday and lockdown started on the Saturday. I can’t even imagine how difficult that would have been to be alone in hospital. I’m so grateful I got home.”

While today’s Pink Ribbon Cup race day marks Nicole’s first social outing, she’s already back to business as usual – presenting breakfast on-air from Monday to Thursday.

She will continue to receive a cancer-blocking drug for another year, but believes the worst is now behind her.

However, she says cancer has undoubtedly changed her work/life perspective.

“I have definitely re-evaluated my life … I refused to get stressed about something if it’s not worth it,” she says.

“The biggest thing I have to recognise is when to stop. I always think that I can just power through, that I can do it all, but I can’t … and that’s okay.

“My prognosis is good but the cancer that I have, HER2, is aggressive. It responds well to treatment the first time, but if it comes back the treatment won’t work as well. I haven’t even looked at the actual rates because I’m too scared to.

“All I know is that I have to do everything within my power to look after myself. Without your health, you have nothing.

“That’s what you have to fight for.”

And so far, it’s a safe bet that Nicole is a winner.

● The Pink Ribbon Cup race day, Australia’s largest community fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, was held yesterday at the Gold Coast Turf Club