Help Teresa beat Breast Cancer

Hi, I'm Teresa. 44yr old Mama to 2 beautiful girls & wife to Andrew. I love life, my family, my friends, music, gardening & people. Late last year I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer.

I discovered a large lump in my left breast that wasn't there earlier in the day. A little surprised & concerned I headed to the doctor to get it checked out. A mammogram & ultrasound didn't show much so a biopsy was done.

As I watched the bus leave with my daughter & husband for a school camp one morning, my phone rang. It was a request to meet with the doctor that afternoon. My heart immediately sank, I knew it was bad. At the appointment I was told I had breast cancer, Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Estrogen.

I was immediately referred to the surgical team, with the MRI & CT scan showing chemo was unlikely to shrink it. A mastectomy was needed due to the tumour's size, along with removing lymph nodes in my armpit.

On 20th Dec, my breast was removed via mastectomy. The tumour was 10.5cm wide & 6 of the 18 lymph nodes removed were cancerous (meaning high potential for spreading).

This journey is an emotional roller-coaster for everyone & is still unfolding. Telling my girls & Andrew that I have cancer was the hardest day of my life. Every day brings new emotions to process. My babies were aware something was happening from the first day the lump appeared & their cuddles mean everything. I planned to be here for their lives & now we're doing everything we can to make sure I am.