Jessica Allen, of Norah Head, was 16 weeks pregnant with her second child when an ultrasound confirmed she had triple negative breast cancer.
Alarmed at discovering a large, hard lump in one breast, she was instantly concerned.
“It was a really large lump and very hard and I thought that’s not normal,” Allen said.
“But you’re pregnant and you just don’t know.
“Mum had breast cancer two years before and she advised me to get it checked and make sure.”
Her GP sent her for an ultrasound immediately and a biopsy a week later confirmed the worst.
She was just 35 years old and went through her first round of chemotherapy on her son’s fourth birthday while in her second trimester of pregnancy.
“I had so many unanswered questions, the most important one being could I keep my baby,” she said.
While her husband, a fly-in fly-out worker, was with her during the tests, he could not be there for the results.
“I went through diagnosis alone; I had half my treatment while I was pregnant and the rest with a newborn while also taking care of a four-year-old,” she said.
Treatment was quickly arranged, the lump removed, and four weeks after surgery, she began chemotherapy.
“I was so worried about the baby, you’re pregnant and you’re trying to be healthy and then you’re putting all this poison in your body.
“The team were great and assured me it was far more common than people know, and it would probably mean the baby would be a bit smaller and I would deliver a bit earlier.
“I made it to 39 weeks and the baby was fine. It was like I had been holding my breath that whole time and I could finally breathe again.”
That was in 2020 and baby Bodhi is now three and his older brother Houston is eight.
Allen is sharing her story as part of the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s 30th Anniversary to raise awareness around breast cancer, especially during pregnancy, and remove the stigma around breast cancer in young people.
“I love the work they do, all that research. It’s really wonderful,” she said.
“I wanted to share my story so that other women who are going through it, know they are not alone, it can be such an isolating experience.
“It really helps knowing that there are others and it’s a great support.
“I would do anything to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF); their important research helps women like us.”
Since 1994, NBCF has invested $232M in 642 projects and in this time, the death rate from breast cancer has reduced by more than 40 per cent.
Over the past 30 years the five-year relative survival rate has improved by 16 per cent from 76 per cent to 92 per cent.
In the past 10 years alone, more than 2,300 publications were reported by NBCF-funded researchers, with science discoveries helping to improve our understanding of breast cancer and how we may better prevent, detect, stop and treat breast cancer.
NBCF-funded projects have led to 50 influences on policy and practice.