A Sydney mother-of-two has opened up about her shock breast cancer diagnosis in a bid to raise awareness about the relentless disease.
Kirstin Pretorius, 34, took to Instagram recently to share a beautiful photo of herself and her husband, Maurice on a family holiday in April.
But despite feeling healthier and happier than ever, the doting mother was unaware of the cancer growing inside her.
‘In this picture, I was living with cancer. I just didn’t know it yet,’ she wrote.
Kirstin Pretorius, 34, took to Instagram recently to share a beautiful photo of herself and her husband, Maurice on a family holiday in April – blissfully unaware that she had breast cancer
‘Ironically, this year marked the peak of my “health” and my fitness. I’ve never felt better, stronger, or more comfortable with myself than I did turning 34,’ she said
‘Ironically, this year marked the peak of my “health” and my fitness. I’ve never felt better, stronger, or more comfortable with myself than I did turning 34.
‘My marriage had never been better and my children were thriving. Everything was beautifully bright. But, despite feeling perfectly well, I went for my routine yearly health check. And that’s when they discovered “the lump”. The lump.
‘I look at this picture from a simply blissful family holiday celebrating my 10 year wedding anniversary and all I can think is… “KIRSTIN how can you not know that there are 3 tumours thriving away in your breast?”
“How can you not FEEL the cancer slipping into your lymph nodes? Why don’t you FEEL sick? How can you be so stupid?!”‘
‘This danger space zone is actually me having my first chemo! The scalp ‘cooling’ machine (ha more like scalp ‘freeze’ and ‘suffocate’ machine) was the first challenge,’ she captioned this snap
Kirstin said she simply ‘didn’t know’ and ‘didn’t feel’ a thing.
So check your boobs. Know your body. Cancer happens. To anyone.
‘If my doctor hadn’t examined me, I’d still be blissfully unaware, reaching new fitness goals with my body, eating my futile little anti-oxidant high virtually-vegan wonder food diet,’ she continued.
‘I’d be packing my little plastic-free super food school lunches for my girls, lecturing them on healthy lifestyles. I’d be chemically-free cleaning my home wondering why the whole world doesn’t use essential oils.
‘All the while growing and feeding my precious cancer. So check your boobs. Know your body. Cancer happens. To anyone.’
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Kirstin said she could only feel the lump the doctor found when she was on her back with one arm above her head
Kirstin has been sharing her journey on her Instagram page, Kicking the big C – from snaps of her ‘pre-chemo’ party to photos of her trying on wigs and undergoing gruelling chemo sessions.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Kirstin said she could only feel the lump the doctor found when she was on her back with one arm above her head.
‘I thought I was doing breast exams right but I wasn’t because I couldn’t feel it,’ she said.
‘But even when they found the lump I was certain that it wouldn’t be cancer because I was in such good health so when they said it was I was just completely shocked.’
Within a week, Kirstin went in for surgery to have a full mastectomy on the side of the cancer and doctors removed three tumours from her breast.
‘It’s about who you surround yourself with too, it’s important to interact with people who force you to be positive and to see the humour in these situations. My husband has just been incredible even though it’s been so hard for him inside,’ she said
‘You never even have a chance to process it all and even after the surgery it was just torture because I had to wait to find out what they found in there,’ she said.
‘I was shocked to hear they found three tumours and that there was even cancer in the breast tissue and lymph nodes which meant I had to have chemotherapy.
‘That was atrocious to hear because I didn’t think I would have to have chemo.’
Kirstin had her second chemotherapy session on Wednesday and has two more to go before starting hormonal treatment and perhaps radiology.
But despite her life turning upside down, Kirstin refuses to let the diagnosis define her and make her miserable.
Kirstin had her second chemotherapy session on Wednesday and has two more to go before starting hormonal treatment and perhaps radiology
‘I don’t like to be miserable and I don’t like miserable people around me. I do have bad days and bad moments like everyone else but you just have to fake it during those times and push through,’ she said.
‘It’s about who you surround yourself with too, it’s important to interact with people who force you to be positive and to see the humour in these situations. My husband has just been incredible even though it’s been so hard for him inside.’
Kirstin plans to show her journey in detail – the good and the bad.
‘I wanted to see what it was really like before I started but there isn’t a lot of reality out there and I want people to be able to see it for what it really is,’ she said.
She also hopes that by sharing her story, she can encourage women to be diligent in breast exams and checkups.
‘I had no symptoms and I had no family history of breast cancer in my family so on paper I wasn’t at risk… but I still have it,’ she said
‘I had no symptoms and I had no family history of breast cancer in my family so on paper I wasn’t at risk… but I still have it,’ she said.
‘Checking your breasts properly once a month isn’t a big deal and to attend a once a year checkup isn’t a major commitment.
‘Teach girls the minute they start to develop breasts to do a proper breast exam and don’t just wait for medical professionals to tell you what to do. If you think you need a breast exam, insist you have one.
‘Be assertive if you have to be, it could save your life.’