Breast cancer can happen to anyone, Aussie mum shares her story
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Just days before Christmas in 2018, Erryn Sims learned of her shocking triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis.
And now, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she is sharing her journey with hopes of encouraging women of all ages to watch out for breast cancer symptoms.
“This can’t be happening to me! I’m only 34!” the mother-of-three from Sydney had thought. Photo from Erryn Sims.
It was the Saturday before Christmas in 2018 when Erryn was in the shower and discovered a lump on her left breast. And it wasn’t until a few weeks after that she decided to check in with her doctor who sent her for a mammogram and ultrasound.
“I went straight from the GP surgery. Normally I’m a procrastinator and would’ve left it,” she said. “I don’t know what made me do it but I drove straight there.”
What followed was a rush of medical appointments and biopsies.
“On Friday, (my doctor) called and said, ‘what time can you be here?’,” Erryn recalled.
“By the time I’d sat in the chair, and before he’d even closed the door, he said - ‘I’m sorry it’s cancer’.”
She remembered not believing what was happening. At that time, her youngest daughter was only 18 months old.
“I was thinking ‘I need to be here for my children - they need their mum’.”
Erryn was then diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, and in just a span of four weeks, it had grown more than 1cm.
She then crossed the next hurdle of telling her daughters of the situation. Together with her husband, they sat down with them and explained.
“We were very honest with them about everything that was going on which I think helped.”
And for the following months, Erryn had to undergo intensive treatment, including four rounds of AC chemotherapy, 12 rounds of taxol chemotherapy and 16 rounds of radiation, which left her frequently nursing fatigue, body aches, and morning sickness.
Eventually, she pulled through and is now thankfully cancer-free.
But she will continue to have regular ongoing medical checkups across the next decade to make sure nothing has changed.
For Erryn, her diagnosis opened up her awareness of just how breast cancer can quickly change the lives of many.
Now, she’s passionate about encouraging women of all ages to learn what is normal for their breasts and be able to spot changes quickly.
“It’s extremely scary to think about what would’ve happened if I had left it,” she added.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Photo from Erryn Sims.
What is Erryn’s message to other women?
Erryn wants to let every woman know that they need to be aware of their bodies.
“From the time that you develop breasts, start checking them. Get to know them and what is normal for your body,” she said. “This makes it so much easier to tell if something changes, and to act quickly.”
"I don't want anyone to go through what my family did."
“I’m a mum of three girls and I don’t want any of them to go through what I did,” she continued.
“If you notice something has changed, talk to your doctor straight away.”
The McGrath Foundation encourages everyone to check their breasts at least once per month. Photo from The McGrath Foundation.
This is based on an article written by Jasmin Harrison for Yahoo! Lifestyle.
And now, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she is sharing her journey with hopes of encouraging women of all ages to watch out for breast cancer symptoms.
“This can’t be happening to me! I’m only 34!” the mother-of-three from Sydney had thought. Photo from Erryn Sims.
It was the Saturday before Christmas in 2018 when Erryn was in the shower and discovered a lump on her left breast. And it wasn’t until a few weeks after that she decided to check in with her doctor who sent her for a mammogram and ultrasound.
“I went straight from the GP surgery. Normally I’m a procrastinator and would’ve left it,” she said. “I don’t know what made me do it but I drove straight there.”
What followed was a rush of medical appointments and biopsies.
“On Friday, (my doctor) called and said, ‘what time can you be here?’,” Erryn recalled.
“By the time I’d sat in the chair, and before he’d even closed the door, he said - ‘I’m sorry it’s cancer’.”
She remembered not believing what was happening. At that time, her youngest daughter was only 18 months old.
“I was thinking ‘I need to be here for my children - they need their mum’.”
Erryn was then diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, and in just a span of four weeks, it had grown more than 1cm.
She then crossed the next hurdle of telling her daughters of the situation. Together with her husband, they sat down with them and explained.
“We were very honest with them about everything that was going on which I think helped.”
And for the following months, Erryn had to undergo intensive treatment, including four rounds of AC chemotherapy, 12 rounds of taxol chemotherapy and 16 rounds of radiation, which left her frequently nursing fatigue, body aches, and morning sickness.
Eventually, she pulled through and is now thankfully cancer-free.
But she will continue to have regular ongoing medical checkups across the next decade to make sure nothing has changed.
For Erryn, her diagnosis opened up her awareness of just how breast cancer can quickly change the lives of many.
Now, she’s passionate about encouraging women of all ages to learn what is normal for their breasts and be able to spot changes quickly.
“It’s extremely scary to think about what would’ve happened if I had left it,” she added.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Photo from Erryn Sims.
What is Erryn’s message to other women?
Erryn wants to let every woman know that they need to be aware of their bodies.
“From the time that you develop breasts, start checking them. Get to know them and what is normal for your body,” she said. “This makes it so much easier to tell if something changes, and to act quickly.”
"I don't want anyone to go through what my family did."
“I’m a mum of three girls and I don’t want any of them to go through what I did,” she continued.
“If you notice something has changed, talk to your doctor straight away.”
The McGrath Foundation encourages everyone to check their breasts at least once per month. Photo from The McGrath Foundation.
This is based on an article written by Jasmin Harrison for Yahoo! Lifestyle.
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