Youngest Australian to be diagnosed with breast cancer urges women to check themselves

The youngest Australian to ever be diagnosed with breast cancer has urged women to check themselves regularly after she was left fighting for her life.

Bianca Innes, 23, from Queensland, was diagnosed when she was just 20 after finding a lump.

‘I found a lump in my right breast which then became quite painful and I started to receive pain under my right arm,’ she told 7 News.  

Ms Innes went through nine months of chemotherapy, 30 rounds of radiation as well as four surgeries.

‘During that time I fought for my life,’ Innes said.

The 23-year-old said chemotherapy affected her both physically and emotionally.

‘Losing your hair from chemotherapy is devastating. It’s what you identify as, as a woman,’ she said.

Ms Innes was diagnosed when she was 20 after finding a painful lump in her right breast

After becoming the nation’s youngest person to be diagnosed with the disease, Ms Innes is now uses her platform to educate women on the importance of regular breast checks.

‘I want to call on women not just to be breast aware and body aware in the month of October but every month of the year,’ she said. 

A staggering 19,371 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia this year alone.

But 90 per cent of those cases won’t have a family history of the disease.

‘While we always worry about family history, only five to 10 per cent of breast cancers are actually genetically linked,’ Dr Jacqui Milne said. 

After becoming the nation’s youngest person to be diagnosed with the disease, Ms Innes is now uses her platform to educate women on the importance of regular breast checks