“I Am Barely 30 I Never Thought I'd Have A Tumour Nearly The Size Of My Whole Breast.”

More young women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last decade. Two women share poignant stories of fear and survival, and why self-examination can save lives.

In February, she discovered a hard lump on her breast and experienced fainting, and feverish spells. Two months later, in April, after consulting a specialist, accountant Oh Mei Qi was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. She’s only 29.

“I’m anaemic, so I never thought these ailments (fainting spells and fever) were pointing to breast cancer,” says Mei Qi, who’s currently undergoing chemotherapy.

“I’m barely 30... I never thought I’d have a tumour nearly the size of my whole breast, and be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.”

Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for about 10 to 15 per cent of all breast cancers. It’s a type of breast cancer that does not have any of the three receptors commonly found on breast cancer cells.

Mei Qi adds: “I was really feeling down and emotional. At times, I cried myself to sleep. I worried about my work, my family...”

Mei Qi has been going through chemotherapy treatments for five months. The tumour has to be shrunk before she undergoes a mastectomy. Although Mei Qi had come across the breast self-examination information, she admits that she didn’t take it too seriously.

“It was during one of the rare occasions where I was casually examining my breasts when I discovered the lump,” she recalls. “But I didn’t think too much about it. I thought (then) that breast cancer only affected women in their 40s and 50s.”