Sydney woman thought her breast pain was part of her monthly cycle – now she’s warning Aussies after a shock cancer diagnosis

A woman has urged Aussies to listen to their bodies after a pain in her left breast led to the discovery of a 2cm tumor and a shock cancer diagnosis.

Rosie Agius, 38, a Sydney hairdresser, was diagnosed with stage one to stage two, grade three triple-negative breast cancer about five weeks ago after first noticing soreness during her period. 

According to Breast Cancer Trials, triple-negative breast cancer is considered more aggressive than many other forms of the disease.

Symptoms can include a new lump, breast pain or tenderness, nipple discharge and changes to the skin, although these symptoms are also associated with other forms of breast cancer.

However, Ms Agius told Daily Mail that pain was her only symptom and said she was fortunate to have felt any discomfort at all.

‘I never got symptoms besides the pain, which came at the same time as a woman’s monthly, so I never thought anything of it,’ she said.

‘My cancer was actually sitting on a muscle, so I would never have felt the pain otherwise.’

‘It was caught early thank god [for] the pain.’ 

After the shock diagnosis, she has now warned other women not to ignore changes in their bodies, even if they believe the symptoms aren’t linked to cancer.

‘Get checked and don’t be scared,’ she said.

Ms Agius said that had it not been for her partner, she wouldn’t have gone to a doctor.

‘I was laying on the lounge and I said to my partner, “My boobs are really sore”,’ she said. 

‘My partner would see me hold my breast and said “let’s go get it checked”. 

She immediately booked an ultrasound and said she received her cancer diagnosis three days later, news she initially took calmly. 

‘When I got the call from my the doctor, I stayed calm and messaged my brother,’ Ms Agius said.

‘I had clients who took control and helped me book my biopsy.’ 

With little family history of the disease besides her aunt, Ms Agius said she was able to stay collected as she had done plenty of research prior to the diagnosis.

‘I did that much research that when I saw my surgeon, I understood everything,’ she said. 

‘My sister-in-law is a homeopath, so between her research and mine, we knew triple-negative breast cancer was the most aggressive.’

However, she admitted that there were times where she struggled to stay strong.   

‘Of course not going to lie, I have moments where I cry, but then I get up and go again,’ she said.

‘The hardest thing for me is not knowing, that’s what hits me.’

Unlike Ms Agius, her family’s reaction was different.

‘My family were shocked when I told them I had cancer,’ she said. 

‘I’m their little girl in my parents eyes and I come from a big and loved family.’

She has already undergone two rounds of chemotherapy and now faces roughly a year of chemotherapy and surgery. 

Ms Agius said she could afford her appointments and treatment, but wanted more done to reduce the cost of cancer care. 

‘Luckily for myself, I had money put aside, but I was sitting in an appointment where a lady had to reschedule because she couldn’t afford it,’ she said. 

‘It’s not fair and things should change.’

Although Ms Agius has a long journey ahead of her, she said she would use the opportunity to empower the women in her family. 

‘I have three nieces and I’m going to show them that their aunty is a warrior,’ she said.