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Zoe's Story
Zoe was newly married, and loving life. Then she found a lump in her breast.
Having a previous benign lump, she wasn’t overly concerned. Besides, on the very same day, she had undertaken a second ultrasound which confirmed the unbridled joy of her first pregnancy.
Zoe was floating on cloud nine until her doctor called for an urgent follow-up to her breast examination. Instinctively, she feared her world was about to change.
Zoe was given the devastating diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer.
She was just 8 weeks pregnant and facing the battle of her life.
“The hardest part was I hadn't told my best friends or our extended family about the pregnancy, so we had to give the two pieces of information at the same time,” Zoe reflects.
Understandably, Zoe was fearful of the effects of chemotherapy on her unborn child, “but I kept trusting the science, knowing there's so much research now that's advanced oncology and pregnancy. I think, if this was 10 years ago, what would that mean for me and my baby? I feel very fortunate I’ve been on this journey.”
Another major hurdle emerged when baby George was born at just 30 weeks’ gestation, amidst Zoe’s 16 gruelling rounds of chemotherapy. Zoe was split between battling her cancer and caring for her premature baby at Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU).
Late last year, Zoe underwent surgery, with her radiation treatment still ongoing, but both mum and George are doing well. Their journey continues, but it is one of hope.
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