LIANA Purser was was running marathons and eating a healthy, mostly organic diet before her cancer diagnosis. She was not a carrier of the genetic gene nor with any major risk factors.
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The 29-year-old found she had triple negative breast cancer last July when pregnant. Her diagnosis came exactly one week after hearing her baby’s heartbeat the first time and a couple of months after an earlier miscarriage.
Ms Purser, who grew up in Ballarat, wants everyone to paint their lips for Bright Pink Lipstick day on Friday and get talking about breast and ovarian cancer risk.
She wants people to realise cancer does not discriminate.
“The week following my diagnosis all I could think about was keeping our healthy baby. I remember praying to God and begging him that I would not lose my baby. Miraculously my prayers were soon answered,” Ms Purser said.
“I was blessed with the most amazing medical team that you could ever imagine.”
The Pink Hope ambassador had a medical team form a plan for treatment and to safely continue her pregnancy, giving birth to Rose in February, but she still has a one in five chance of cancer recurring.
Ms Purser had surgery 12 weeks into her pregnancy to remove cancer in her breast and lymph node then was able to start chemotherapy during her second trimester. At this stage of pregnancy, Ms Purser said the placental barrier protects the baby from the toxic effects of her treatment drugs.
“Agreeing to have chemotherapy was very difficult on many levels,” Ms Purser said “...I also knew I wanted our baby to have a mother and delaying my treatment until after my pregnancy meant my chance of survival would significantly decrease.”
Shortly after Rose was born, Ms Purser completed her treatment with a double-mastectomy.
Ms Purser refuses to let her diagnosis and increased cancer risk dictate her future.
She wants other women to be on top of their health with regular check-ups, screenings and understanding their personal risk.
Pink Hope offers a five-minute online questionnaire to help assess cancer risk.
Pink Hope is a breast and ovarian cancer awareness and prevention hub, which also offers personalised support for at-risk women.
To find out more about Pink Hope: pinkhope.org.au
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