Geelong mother's shock breast cancer diagnosis

A 41-year-old mother and teacher who was diagnosed with cancer is still shocked when she sees her reflection after losing her hair.

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Nicole Riddle was shocked when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 41.

The mother-of-two from Hamlyn Heights discovered a lump on her left breast just days before Christmas last year.

“On January 15, my doctor called me with the breast diagnosis,” Ms. Riddle said.

“They found quite a bit of cancer in my left breast.

“It was a real shock as I’m only 41 and apart from the lump I had no other symptoms and we have no history of cancer in our family.

“I didn’t check any of the usual boxes.”

Ms Riddle had a single mastectomy in February

“My surgeon said my breast looked a bit like Swiss cheese so there was no way I could try to save it,” she said.

“There were five different pieces… they were all scattered around.

“Having a mastectomy was the best option for us and I will have reconstruction (surgery) later this year or early next year.”

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Ms Riddle has had about three months of chemotherapy and will begin three weeks of daily radiotherapy next week.

Her body also went into medical or induced menopause due to the treatment.

Ms Riddle said sometimes her diagnosis “doesn’t even seem real”.

“I don’t have any hair at the moment, so when I see it in the mirror it still shocks me,” she said.

“You never think something like this could happen to you.”

It is estimated that one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

Breast cancer accounts for around 28 per cent of all cancers in Australian women.

Ms. Riddle teaches health and physical education at Christian College.

She took the first trimester off to recover from surgery and undergo cancer treatment, but returned to work during the second trimester.

“I love my job and I love being at school with the kids, so it’s really great for my mental health to have a sense of normality,” Ms Riddle said.

Nicole Riddle, 41, pictured with her father Graeme Gellie. Photo: Brad Fleet

Ms Riddle is determined to raise awareness of the disease because early detection can save lives.

“If I hadn’t found (my lump) at that time or if I hadn’t gone to get it checked out as quickly as I did, we would be dealing with something completely different,” she said. she declared.

“If you are concerned about anything, contact a healthcare professional as it could save your life. »

Ms Riddle, whose father Graeme Gellie played AFL and coached St Kilda, is an ambassador for Breast Cancer Network Australia’s Pink Lady Match at the MCG on Saturday night between Melbourne and North Melbourne.

It will be part of a guard of honor that players will have to walk through before the match, which aims to raise awareness in the community about the impact of breast cancer.

Content summaries were created with the help of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.