'I found out I had cancer the day I found out my baby's gender'

“I think I was in denial. I didn’t want any info except wanting to know if my baby was going to be ok.”

When 35-year-old mum Jessica noticed a lump in her breast while 16 weeks pregnant with her second child, she immediately knew something was wrong.

“It was so big and so hard. I knew it was not normal and I called my mum straight away. She had breast cancer 2 years before me so I knew she would know if I was over-exaggerating or not.”

While other family and friends reassured Jessica, telling her that it was probably pregnancy-related like the sore breasts she was experiencing, her mother told her to get it checked straight away.

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Following her mum’s advice, Jessica visited her GP, where she was sent for an urgent ultrasound the same day.

“That day got even worse when a doctor barged in the door saying it looked very suspiciously like cancer and wanted to do the biopsy then and there. They decided to tell us the gender of our baby to try to cheer me up, but the highs and lows of that day really broke me inside,” Jessica said.

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Jessica found out she had cancer the same day she was told the gender of her unborn baby. Picture: Supplied

Mum diagnosed with "aggressive" form of breast cancer

A week later, Jessica was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, a form of breast cancer that can be higher amongst younger women (under 50).

“In Australia, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for around 10-15% of all breast cancers which is equivalent to around 3,000 new cases per year,” says Associate Professor Cleola Anderiesz, CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

“What is concerning about TNBC can be more aggressive than other breast cancer subtypes and can be more likely to reoccur and spread to other parts of the body faster.”

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The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), the largest not-for-profit funder of breast cancer research in Australia committed to ending deaths from cancer, celebrated its 30th anniversary on February 28. As part of this celebration, the Foundation has released an Impact Report outlining the progress and advancements in breast cancer research to date.

This includes the investment of $232 million in 642 projects, as well as the reduction of breast cancer’s death rate by over 40%, helping many Australians, like Jessica who are diagnosed with the disease.

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Jessica began chemotherapy while still pregnant with her son Bodhi. Picture: Supplied

"I was in denial"

For Jessica, whose husband Tim had to return to work as a FIFO driller in the mines, the harrowing experience of being told her cancer diagnosis proved even more difficult as aside from her three-year-old son, Houston, she was alone.

“Holding tightly onto the hand of my 3-year-old son I found out I had breast cancer,” she says.

“I think I was in denial. I didn’t want any info except wanting to know if my baby was going to be ok.”

With the support of her husband Tim, who returned from the mines upon discovering Jessica’s diagnosis, she commenced her first round of chemotherapy on Houston’s fourth birthday, while in her second trimester of pregnancy.

“It was tough, but you didn’t have time to deal with anything because you just must keep going. All I could think about was my baby and wanting him to be ok. Physically it was so hard, it took being tired to a whole new level,” she says.

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Her treatment continued after Bodhi was born, and she'd often have to bring him with her for chemo. Picture: Supplied

"It was an extremely isolating experience"

Despite the support of Tim, her mum and her in-laws, Jessica said undergoing chemotherapy while pregnant was daunting.

“I had never seen anyone go through a breast cancer diagnosis while pregnant, which was an extremely isolating experience.” 

This feeling continued even after her son, Bodhi was born, as she entered the second half of her treatment while taking care of him and her now four-year-old son as well.

“I was lucky to be able to take Bodhi to treatment with me. The nurses loved him. It was awfully hard, but I just had to keep going. I was lucky to have such amazing support from my husband. He did everything he could to make my journey easier,” she says.

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Jessica is now cancer-free with an eight-year-old and a three-year-old. Picture: Supplied

"I don't want to regret the time I have now"

But for Jessica, it was the impact on her mental health that was the most difficult.

“It really puts a toll on your mental health and all the support drops off after active treatment and it all hits you like a tonne of bricks and you’re left alone to deal with it on your own. The whirlwind stops and it’s kind of like ‘what just happened?’ And how is life going to look from now on when you’re not the same person anymore.”

Three years on, Jessica is now cancer-free, with a healthy eight and three-and-a-half-year-old and because of her experience has a much different outlook on life.

“I look at life in a different view. Enjoying the little things. More time with family and friends is so important. You always worry about it coming back and if it does, I don’t want to regret the time I have now.”

Originally published as 'I found out I had cancer the day I found out my baby's gender'