Mum’s heartbreaking wish for her daughters after a subtle sign led to her gut-wrenching diagnosis

This Christmas, Bec Pickering has just one wish: that her two young daughters will never have to face the breast cancer diagnosis that turned her own world upside down.

‘The only thing tougher than telling your kids you have breast cancer, is knowing they could get it, too,’ the 43-year-old mum-of-two told Daily Mail.

Bec, who hails from Mildura, Victoria, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, when her youngest daughter Dottie was just 15 months old.

At the time, she had recently been through seven rounds of IVF to conceive her girls, and initially brushed off a subtle change in her nipple as hormonal.

Further testing confirmed she had breast cancer, and devastatingly, that she also carries the BRCA2 gene mutation, which significantly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

‘Those first weeks after diagnosis were pretty dark,’ Bec recalled.

‘I didn’t want to die. I wanted to watch my girls grow up. I made a promise to myself that I would take anything the doctors gave me, anything to get rid of the breast cancer.’

Since then, her life has been consumed by treatment.

Bec has endured months of chemotherapy, followed by a double mastectomy and radiotherapy, all while navigating the physical and mental toll of cancer with two small children at home.

In November, she underwent further surgery to remove her ovaries as part of her ongoing care to beat cancer once and for all.

Unfortunately, cancer is not unfamiliar to Bec’s family.

Her paternal grandmother died in 1973, when treatment options were limited, and her father, Roger, has also been diagnosed with prostate cancer – a disease linked to the hereditary BRCA2 mutation – and is facing treatment at the same time as his daughter.

On the other side of the family, Bec’s mother Jill was also diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago.

‘It was terrible watching Mum go through breast cancer.

‘Mum had a very different experience to me. And I can only imagine that in another 15 years’ time it will be different again.’

That belief is what led Bec to take part in Breast Cancer Trials’ OLIO clinical trial, which is investigating whether adding new treatments to standard preoperative chemotherapy can improve outcomes for young, pre-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer.

‘Clinical trials are what give me hope [and] it could help future generations survive breast cancer,’ she said.

‘And it could make all the difference for my girls and my nieces too.’

Bec’s daughters, Daphne, four, and Dottie, now two, will be able to be tested for the BRCA2 gene mutation when they turn 18, allowing them to better understand their own future risk.

Watching her daughter go through treatment has been heartbreaking for Jill, who says progress is undeniable, but far from finished.

‘Watching Bec, I see how far treatment has come, but it’s still so hard,’ she said.

‘We need research to find better, kinder answers for breast cancer.’

The OLIO trial has also brought unexpected practical relief. Bec was able to access the trial through a remote telehealth pre-screening process, allowing her to remain in Mildura rather than travel frequently to Melbourne – precious time she has been able to spend with her husband Matt and their girls.

‘For a long time, I just couldn’t get out of bed.’

‘Daphne and Dottie moved all their toys into the bedroom and built obstacle courses. As long as they’re with me, I’m happy, but I feel guilty for being sick and not being a mum. They’re a constant reminder that this is about more than me.’

This Christmas, Bec is the face of Breast Cancer Trials’ Christmas Appeal, urging Australians to donate to help fund vital research that could change, and save lives.

‘People facing breast cancer need new treatments and cures that can save lives and protect future generations, and this is only possible through breast cancer clinical trials research,’ said Julie Callaghan, Chief Operating Officer – Fundraising at Breast Cancer Trials.

‘The type of breast cancer Bec has carries a high risk of recurrence, and existing treatments are often not enough. The OLIO trial offers women like Bec the chance to access additional innovative therapies that may improve survival and long-term outcomes.’

For Bec, the hope is that one day, her daughters will live in a world where breast cancer is no longer a life-defining diagnosis.