At the age of 26, Emily Harrison was enjoying her carefree lifestyle travelling overseas for eight months, but on December 2, 2020 after returning home her world as she knew it was turned upside down due to an unanticipated breast cancer diagnosis.
The Melbourne florist maintained a healthy routine and only experienced one common fatal symptom, a small lump in her breast.
‘My initial thought after the prognosis was “am I going to die?”,’ Emily told FEMAIL.
‘I had incredibly heightened emotions for a long time and wasn’t really sure of how to process them.’
While she has family history of breast cancer, Emily was unaware she would need to battle against the disease at such a young age.
Emily Harrison (pictured) was travelling around South East Asia, Korea, Europe, Morocco and Japan for eight months prior to being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 26 in December 2020
While she has family history of breast cancer, Emily was unaware she would need to battle against the disease at such a young age
Emily told FEMAIL she never imagined cancer to be an isolating experience and wasn’t aware of how the diagnosis would permanently impact her life
The young florist first noticed the lump in the shower but only deemed it to be a breast cyst.
After three weeks of no change, her parents and partner urged her to visit a GP who referred to get an ultrasound.
‘It was at this appointment I realised the lump may be more sinister than I had anticipated,’ she said.
‘I remember the ultrasound technician going and getting his supervisor, she then had a look at the scans and told me she would recommend I skip a mammogram and go straight for a biopsy,’ she said.
In less than 24 hours Emily was called back to discuss the results and further tests required, which included a sentinel node biopsy and a breast core biopsy.
The results from the procedures detected and determined the lump was cancerous, leaving Emily feeling vulnerable and concerned.
The young florist first noticed the lump in the shower but only deemed it to be a breast cyst
The results from the procedures detected and determined the lump was cancerous, leaving Emily feeling vulnerable and concerned
Since the diagnosis, Emily learnt she has a BRCA-1 gene mutation, implying the cancer did not occur from her own doing.
‘I wish I knew all of the different treatment plans and options for breast cancer; I was under the impression I would have a few rounds of chemotherapy followed by a singular surgery and that would be it, but there is so much more involved.’
Emily has needed to make difficult choices about biological children, surgeries, reconstructions and treatment plans.
‘I did IVF and had my eggs frozen, I’ve gone into early menopause, I get run down so much easier than I used to, I have a monthly injection to try to protect my ovaries and I have regular heart scans to make sure the chemotherapy hasn’t damaged my heart,’ she said.
Since the diagnosis, Emily learnt she has a BRCA-1 gene mutation, implying the cancer did not occur from her own doing
‘I wish I knew all of the different treatment plans and options for breast cancer; I was under the impression I would have a few rounds of chemotherapy followed by a singular surgery and that would be it, but there is so much more involved,’ she said
Emily has needed to make difficult choices about biological children, surgeries, reconstructions and treatment plans
After completing the IVF egg collection process and bodily scans to confirm the cancer had not spread elsewhere, Emily had a ‘port-a-cath’ put into her chest to receive chemotherapy infusion without causing significant damage to her veins.
She then began six months of chemotherapy and has a small scar on the right side of her chest from the catheter.
Unfortunately due to the harsh nature of chemotherapy, Emily gradually lost her hair follicles but isn’t afraid to post images of herself on social media.
‘I go through a variety of emotions, a lot of the time I am still just trying to process what I have gone through in the last eight months,’ she said.
‘During my months of chemotherapy, I felt a lot of resentment and anger. As much as I would never wish anybody else to go through what I am going through, I find myself wondering often why it is happening to me.’
Emily said she never imagined cancer to be an isolating experience and wasn’t aware of how the diagnosis would permanently impact her life.
On July 7, 2021 Emily had surgery to remove further tissue of concern and to determine whether she needs radiotherapy
Emily’s main piece of advice to other women is to ‘not be afraid’ to visit your GP if you notice any changes with your body
On July 7, 2021 Emily had surgery to remove further tissue of concern and to determine whether she needs radiotherapy.
‘I will be having ten years of hormone therapy and for the rest of my life will have to partake in physical therapy to prevent the development of a condition known as Lymphedema,’ she said.
‘I will also undergo physiotherapy sessions to help prevent lymphedema developing in my left arm where I will have all of my lymph nodes removed.’
Emily’s main piece of advice to other women is to ‘not be afraid’ to visit your GP if you notice any changes with your body.
She considers herself extremely lucky doctors took her case seriously and understood the severity of the situation.
‘Without this, I may be in a completely different position than I am in now,’ she said.