Sunshine Coast mother Holly O’Brien fights triple negative breast cancer
A new mum went from the happiest time of her life to being forced to grapple with a harsh reality.
Holly O’Brien said she was in the peak of her motherhood following a heartbreaking IVF journey and then struggling to breastfeed her newborn miracle baby, when her world was turned upside down.
The wedding celebrant, known for her dazzling smile and beautiful long hair that fell past her chest, had never felt more in touch with her femininity.
“I love being a mother,” she said.
“It just feels so right to me.
“Being able to breastfeed my daughter was so special. I felt so bonded and close to her.
“Lola is the most beautiful, happy, and funny little girl.
“It’s been the most amazing first year.”
Ms O’Brien and her partner of eight years, Michael Wood, a 38-year-old software engineer, welcomed their baby girl Lola Wood into the world on September 12 last year.
For a moment their lives were perfect.
But it all came crashing down around the little Sunshine Coast family when Ms O’Brien, 36, found a lump in her breast.
Her daughter was just five months old.
“Doctors weren’t sure whether or not to do a biopsy because I was breastfeeding and they didn’t want to cause any damage when they didn’t think it was cancerous,” Ms O’Brien said.
“They said I’d have to wean her off breastfeeding which I really didn’t want to do. It had been a journey to get to a place where I was able to breastfeed her and she’d finally put on some weight.
“They thought it would be okay and said we’d just do scans every few months to keep an eye on it.”
Every time Ms O’Brien went in for a scan, the ultrasound technician said she really ought to have a biopsy done.
“Breastfeeding was an amazing experience for me and so good for Lola and her health and our bond...I just didn’t want to give it up,” she said.
“I think all of the medical team did their best.
“I had a beautiful year of exclusively breastfeeding Lola.”
A few days before Lola’s first birthday, while breastfeeding at their Mapleton home one evening, Ms O’Brien found a second lump under her armpit.
“It wasn’t sore but it was quite big...I just knew something wasn’t right,” she said.
The scared mother went through the private system for a biopsy while still breastfeeding.
“A lovely doctor did it for me and didn’t cause any damage,” Ms O’Brien said.
“But he could only fit me on my daughter’s first birthday, which was sad.
“We waited about a week for the results. We were terrified.”
By October, she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.
“It’s pretty rare for women my age and can be very aggressive. They think I have between stage 2B or stage 3 but it’s hard to tell until I have surgery,” Ms O’Brien said.
“It had only reached one lymph node and hadn’t metastasised which was a relief.
“If it had it could have been terminal.
“Hearing that news felt like I’d won the cancer lottery. I am so lucky I get to live and be with my baby.”
Despite this win, Ms O’Brien still fell victim to the hardships of the deadly disease.
She will endure six months of gruelling chemotherapy, surgery on her breast, and then radiation.
Last week she lost her hair.
Reflecting on her life as a new mother, Ms O’Brien said it had been a rollercoaster.
“I was in a really happy stage of life,” she said.
“One of the weirdest parts to wrap my mind around is that was that I was in the peak of my motherhood and fertility and now I have no hair and have to have an injection every week which puts me into an early onset menopause to shut my ovaries down and protect my fertility.”
Another milestone turned melancholic moment was when the couple parted ways from baby Lola for the first time.
“It was sad having Lola babysat by family for the first time ever while we both went to my first day of chemo,” Ms O’Brien said.
“It should have been for our first date night post birth.
“At times I have felt really isolated and alone as a young mother going through this.
“I’ve found so much hope in connecting with other women who have lived this already.”
Ms O’Brien is hopeful she will retain her choice to have another child.
“We originally struggled to fall pregnant but after two years and a round of failed IVF I actually fell pregnant naturally,” she said.
“I’d like the choice of having another child. But I also understand my body might not be there and could need time to recover from the cancer and chemotherapy.
“Having fallen in love with motherhood so quickly it was really sad and disturbing to have this happen.”
Her best advice for other mothers was to “please get your breasts checked regularly”.
“I was lucky to get a year of breastfeeding and bonding before the diagnosis,” she said.
“Lola is such a super happy, lovely and beautiful baby. She took her first steps a few days ago.
“Even though chemo and cancer is hard having her is making the days go faster and getting me through the worst of it.
“My biggest fear when first diagnosed was missing out on her early life.”
A family friend, Hannah Smets, started a GoFundMe campaign to support them.
“It has been a very tumultuous and overwhelming time navigating chemo, medical appointments, looking after Lola and trying to do all the best things health wise to make sure this cancer leaves and stays away forever,” Ms Smets said.
“As Holly begins her treatment, we want to help ease the financial burden that comes with cancer care, so she can focus on her health and spending time with her family.
Holly has already expressed so much gratitude to the many people who have already reached out and supported her and her family in so many ways and any contribution to this cause, no matter how small, will make a huge difference and is greatly appreciated.”
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Originally published as Sunshine Coast mother Holly O’Brien fights triple negative breast cancer
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