Dakota, 28, was fit, happy and had no reason to think anything was wrong with her health. Then she received heartbreaking news

Just three weeks before her 29th birthday, Dakota Middleby‘s life changed in an instant.

It was March 26 when she received the call that confirmed her worst fears.

What began as seemingly innocuous swelling under her right arm turned out to be something far more serious: stage 3, grade 3 HER2-positive breast cancer – a rare and aggressive form of the disease most often associated with older women.

‘I initially went to the doctors seven years ago for a lump I found in my breast, but I was told it was a fatty lump and not harmful,’ Dakota told FEMAIL. 

‘The only thing I noticed this time was some swollen lymph nodes under my arm. My doctor initially thought it was viral, and that I’d start to get sick because of it. But weeks went by and they weren’t going down.’

Eventually, she was sent for an ultrasound.

‘I put it off for a week because I couldn’t get an appointment and I didn’t think it was serious. I mean, I was 28 and extremely healthy – what could it actually have been? 

‘But then I saw the ultrasound technician’s face change and I knew something was wrong,’ she recalled. 

Dakota’s doctor told her it was suspected breast cancer.

‘I was in shock,’ she recalled.

‘There’s no cancer in my family. I felt completely healthy. I didn’t know people in their twenties could get breast cancer.’

What followed was a blur of medical tests: two biopsies, a PET scan, a CT scan, and a flurry of bloodwork.

Then came the official diagnosis – stage 3 HER2-positive breast cancer, known for how quickly it spreads.

‘I literally thought I was going to die. My whole life flashed before my eyes,’ she said.

She had just moved from the Gold Coast to Melbourne for a new job, but within six months, she was forced to resign to focus on treatment.

‘I resigned when I was diagnosed, just because mentally it was too much to try and manage both,’ she said.

Dakota quickly discovered how aggressive her treatment would need to be.

HER2-positive cancers require a combination of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and often surgery.

There wasn’t time to do traditional egg freezing to preserve her fertility.

Instead, she underwent emergency ovarian tissue freezing – a relatively uncommon procedure – and began monthly Zoladex injections to shut down her ovaries and protect them from the harsh effects of chemo.

‘I had to go into early menopause almost overnight,’ she said, suffering menopause-like symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, and more changes and puts your body through a physical toll.

Dakota’s chemotherapy began shortly after.

Every three weeks, she receives a round of powerful drugs designed to kill the cancer cells. 

‘I get mouth ulcers, nausea, heartburn, memory fog, and even temporary vision issues,’ she said.

‘It takes about a week to even feel semi-human again. By the second week, I start feeling slightly better. The third week is my only good week – then it all starts again.’

Two weeks after her first treatment, her hair started to fall out.

‘My skin changed overnight. I’ve gone from having clear skin to acne on my face, chest and back,’ she said.

‘It’s not something I can hide, and that’s been one of the hardest parts.’

In September, Dakota is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the lymph nodes from her right side.

If chemotherapy hasn’t shrunk the tumour enough by then, doctors will perform a mastectomy.

Determined to keep her mind active, she recently began an internship with a marketing agency. 

‘I just wanted to keep my brain moving and keep learning as much as I can,’ she explained. 

Still, daily life looks dramatically different now. Even something as simple as leaving the house has become a challenge.

‘It’s whether you’re brave enough to go to the grocery store with no hair and have everyone look,’ she said.

‘Otherwise it’s, “Where’s my wig? I’ve got to put my wig on”. Those appearance-based things mean a lot more now. You’re looked at differently.’

Being 29 and living in Melbourne, she used to thrive on a busy social life.

‘There was always something happening – going out for a wine during the week, seeing friends, just being out and about,’ she said. 

‘Now it feels like everything’s been put on hold.’

Even the small things – those most people wouldn’t think twice about – have shifted. 

‘I have to be so careful about what I eat, make sure all my vegetables are washed properly, make sure I’m walking, moving my body, keeping on top of everything. It’s a lot. A lot of things have changed,’ she said.

The experience has made her re-evaluate everything – including how long the cancer may have been growing.

‘I was told I had a fatty lump in my breast when I was 21. I didn’t get it checked again until now,’ she said.

‘Looking back, I wonder if that was the start of it.’

Despite everything, Dakota has found strength in unexpected places.

She’s continued doing Pilates and is completing her internship to stay mentally stimulated between treatments.

‘There were a couple of weeks where I was in a ‘poor me’ headspace,’ she said.

‘But I’ve had to shift my mindset. I don’t want cancer to take more from me than it already has.’

She’s also been buoyed by support from her loved ones.

Her mum has flown to Melbourne twice to help care for her, and her partner has remained by her side.

‘He’s been incredible. His workplace has been so understanding, and not everyone is that lucky,’ she said. 

But Dakota knows many other women don’t have the same support – or access to early screenings.

Since sharing her story, she’s been contacted by other women in their twenties who are also battling breast cancer.

‘I’ve heard from girls as young as 20 who have it. We’re not anomalies – it’s happening more and more,’ she said.

‘But there’s still a massive age bias. We’re told we’re “too young” for breast cancer. We’re not taught to check our breasts. Screenings aren’t offered to us. And when we do speak up, we’re often dismissed.’

That’s why she’s launching a donation fund to help women under 40 access early breast cancer screenings – even if they don’t have symptoms or family history.

‘There’s just no help for us,’ she said.

‘You shouldn’t have to find a lump or wait until it’s stage 3 to get answers.’

Her goal is to have the fund up and running by the end of the year.

‘I don’t want to just survive this. I want to do something with it,’ she said.