How a freak paddleboard accident on a beach holiday led Aussie mum to discover she had breast cancer… and that was only the beginning

Accidents that result in injury are often a temporary health annoyance.

But for one Australian mum, a series of unfortunate incidents resulted in the discovery of a far more significant and underlying issue.

Jess, 36, and her husband, John, from Victoria, had welcomed their son Nicholas in 2020 and were revelling in the joys of parenthood – even through the gruelling Melbourne COVID lockdowns.

When restrictions eased in January 2022, the family went on a beach holiday at Barwon Heads. A perfect summer’s day, Nicholas was happily playing at the water’s edge with his dad when Jess decided to join her niece and nephew for a paddleboard. 

Like many, she lost her balance and fell into the water. However, as she landed, Jess, 36, felt her right breast slam into the board. Later that evening she took a closer look as she’d developed a bruise.

‘I started to have a feel around it, and that’s when I noticed that there was a lump,’ Jess said.

The classic breast cancer symptom was cause for concern. But for Jess, it also dredged up a memory from a year earlier when she’d raised the issue of a breast lump with a doctor – only to have her concerns dismissed.

At that time, Jess had been a new mum struggling with breastfeeding. 

After some difficulties feeding on her right side, Jess felt a small lump. With her usual GP unavailable, she saw a different doctor and complained it was ‘quite painful to feed from my right hand side’, noting she felt what seemed like ‘a blockage or a lump’.

Instead of investigating further, Jess said the doctor ‘dismissed’ it as a ‘blocked milk duct’ or something similar.

‘I was told to just persevere,’ Jess recounted. ‘I didn’t even suspect cancer. I took her word for it and carried on.’

Fast forward to the paddleboarding accident, and Jess realised the lump was in the exact spot as the one she’d found while breastfeeding.

On returning from the holiday in early February, Jess met with her usual GP – who immediately sent her for a mammogram and ultrasound.

Her doctor called within hours, explaining that the scan showed suspected breast cancer and referred her to a specialist.

Within 48 hours, a further biopsy confirmed she had stage three breast cancer.

‘My mind just went blank,’ Jess recalled.

‘Hearing that word – cancer – all these horrible things go through your head. “Am I leaving my son without a mum?” That’s all I could think about.’ 

Outside of the lump, Jess had no other obvious symptoms.

‘I wasn’t feeling unwell. I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t run down – apart from what any mother who chases around a toddler feels,’ Jess said. ‘Nothing that would have made me think something was wrong.’

Jess’ treatment involved four rounds of AC chemotherapy, followed by 12 rounds of Taxol chemotherapy, then a lumpectomy and radiation.

‘The first three months of chemotherapy every three weeks were particularly horrendous,’ she said.

Describing the treatment as like being ‘hit by a bus’, Jess recalled extreme agony, nausea and mobility difficulties.

‘I’ve emotionally blocked out what it was like going through all that, but it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.’

To cope, Jess’ family moved in with her parents, Mary and Peter, who live in the Victorian coastal town Torquay. 

Mary took on the lion’s share of looking after young Nicholas while Peter diligently accompanied his daughter to every chemo session. Meanwhile, Jess’ husband commuted between Melbourne and Torquay to work and support them.

After treatment, Jess – now a member of the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) – entered remission. Throughout 2023, she attended regular mammograms and ultrasounds, each returning ‘all-clear’.

But then, another fateful accident struck.

‘In May 2024 I had a fall, slipping on some water in our laundry at home,’ Jess explained. ‘I went airborne and smashed onto my back.’

The fall was serious; Jess was taken by ambulance to hospital, where X-rays and CT scans showed fractures in her spine and pelvis.

But that wasn’t all they showed.

In devastating news, the doctor revealed that the scans also showed signs of bone metastases.

‘My world just shattered – again,’ Jess said.

Further tests confirmed the cancer had returned – not just in her pelvis and hip, but also her shoulder, rib cage and skull.

The second cancer diagnosis saw Jess completely crumble.

‘I just started bawling my eyes and said to the doctor: “This is a death sentence. Now, isn’t it?”‘

But perhaps surprisingly, her oncologist was more optimistic than she expected. ‘He told me, “It’s stage four, non-curable, but treatable. It’s not terminal.”‘

‘He explained there are lots of treatment options – we start with one and if that doesn’t work, move to the next.’

The first step was chemotherapy again, this time 12 rounds of Taxol.

‘I wasn’t keen on doing chemotherapy again, but this time I only had minimal side effects.’

Thankfully, the chemotherapy reduced all the cancer spots to a microscopic size.

Next came radiation, followed by an antibody treatment that proved ineffective. Recently, Jess’ doctors switched her to a new antibody infusion.

‘The doctor said, “This is basically you living with cancer”. It’s trial and error until we got the right dose.’

Jess now undergoes regular scans to ensure the cancer spots do not increase – so far, results are promising.

‘We just keep pushing, keep moving forward, keep doing the treatment, and hopefully I can live many, many more years.’

But in hindsight, Jess admits her second cancer diagnosis also made her ‘very disappointed’.

After remission, Jess’s follow-ups focused on breast screenings and mammograms – not broader CT scans.

She believes this was a huge miss given ‘breast cancer has a high probability of returning’ – and not necessarily in the same location.

‘Why in this country, are we not offered PET scans following breast cancer treatment – at a minimum, every 12 months after remission?’ she asks, adding that she would have gladly paid out of pocket for peace of mind.

Through all her health battles, Jess has strived to be an active and involved mum to her now five-year-old son.

‘I’m doing this for him,’ Jess said. ‘I’m doing this so he can grow up with a mum.’

She has tried to explain her cancer to Nicholas in an age-appropriate way, but admits some parts – like losing her hair – were extremely distressing for him.

Jess recalled a difficult stage where her son was reluctant to attend kinder. ‘He’d say to me, “I need to be there for you in case the cancer returns.” And that just completely breaks my heart.’

Despite the challenges, her son remains her motivation.

‘When that little voice in your head says it’s too hard and to give up – all I need to do is look at that little boy.’

Meanwhile, Jess says her ‘whole outlook on life has changed’.

‘I am now very much the type of person that lives day by day. It drives my husband insane, but I’ll see a holiday that looks amazing and say ‘Let’s go!’

‘Because life is too short and I don’t know how much time I’ve got left – even though my oncologist constantly says, ‘it’s treatable, not terminal’.

‘Where I’m at is just to live your life because you don’t know what’s around the corner.’