Cassandra Thorburn is using her breast cancer diagnosis to raise awareness of a rare form of the disease, saying she hopes sharing her story will help others feel less alone.
The mother-of-three, who revealed earlier this year she had been diagnosed with occult triple-negative breast cancer, recently spoke at a fundraising event for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation while undergoing chemotherapy.
“Thank you @sydneybreastcancerfoundation for including me at today’s fundraising event so I could raise awareness about Occult Triple Negative Breast Cancer,” she shared on Instagram.
“It was hard to tell my story mid chemotherapy but the kindness and understanding in the room was palpable. Thank you everyone who attended for your generosity.”
Speaking to 7NEWS, Thorburn said learning how uncommon her diagnosis was made an already difficult situation even more confronting.
“To realise how rare it was, was quite scary and made me feel quite alone,” Thorburn said.
Rather than asking why it happened to her, she said she hopes her experience can help shine a light on the condition.
“It’s not a ‘why me’, it’s ‘this is why it is me’, to raise awareness for something that’s so rare,” she said.
Just months before her 55th birthday, Thorburn had been looking forward to focusing on herself after her youngest child finished school.
Instead, she found herself facing the unexpected health battle.
Thorburn first shared her diagnosis publicly in February, posting a video and photograph showing her newly shaved head.
Although no stranger to public speaking through her television appearances and stage work, Thorburn said speaking at the recent fundraiser carried a more personal significance.
“Life is not a game of luck and I have and will continue to thrive, regardless of what life throws at me,” she told the audience.
Occult triple-negative breast cancer is extremely rare, making up just 0.03 per cent of breast cancer cases in Australia.
Sydney-based specialist oncoplastic breast surgeon Kylie Snook said the disease presents differently from many other breast cancers.
“It’s shown up in the lymph nodes. And so it always raises the question, where did this thing come from?” Dr Snook said.
In Thorburn’s case, the cancer appeared as a grey area beneath her arm during a routine mammogram, while others may notice a lump in the armpit.
“We monitor it the same way that we monitor other breast cancers. So women and men who’ve had breast cancer will have annual screening afterwards,” Dr Snook explained.
Thorburn recently completed chemotherapy and will continue treatment with immunotherapy, followed by radiation and surgery.
“This is the toughest thing I’ve had to deal with. You know, I’ve got three children. I’m hoping to be around for a very long time,” she said.
She is also encouraging Australians to act on breast screening reminders, urging mums, daughters and sisters to have regular checks and seek medical advice if they notice any changes.
Images: Instagram
