Two sisters diagnosed with breast cancer within six weeks have revealed how they worked together to overcome the disease.
Aisling, 50, and Margaret Cunningham, 46, of Brisbane received the earth-shattering news in August 2020.
Margaret was standing in front of the mirror when, for the first time in her life, she realized that one of her breasts looked very different from the other.
She immediately consulted her doctor and tests later revealed that she had lobular breast cancer, a type of hormone-positive breast cancer that starts in the mammary glands.
Aisling, 50, left, and Margaret, 46, right, Cunningham, were diagnosed with cancer within six weeks by an earth-shattering coincidence
The sisters, both single mothers, tackled the illness and treatments together, helping each other with childcare when they could
Margaret began treatment immediately and urged her family, including her mother and two sisters, to get screened for cancer.
To her dismay, Aisling had it too. She was diagnosed with another form of breast cancer known as invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type.
The sisters, who are both single mothers living next door to each other, said it was a blessing to be diagnosed just weeks apart.
“When Margaret was doing her chemotherapy, I had surgery, and when I was doing my chemotherapy, she had surgery,” Aisling said.
“So we could be there for each other and be there for the kids.”
The sisters first told their story to FEMAIL a year ago – but there have been complications ever since.
Margaret has had both hips replaced – after they became weak in 2021 and eventually collapsed after intensive chemotherapy.
Her hip pain started during chemotherapy, but she ignored it, assuming it was part of normal cancer pain since everything hurt.
Aisling was diagnosed with cancer after Margaret told her to get checked up on her own diagnosis
But when the pain became unbearable, she had herself examined – despite her “irritability”.
“I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, but was so relieved it was something else and not cancer,” she said.
The new medical problem meant that blood couldn’t get to the hips properly, causing them to become weak.
Her doctors tried to delay the replacement by giving Margaret bone-strengthening drugs, but one by one her hips collapsed.
“When I came in to have the first one done, the nurse said she thought my year of birth was a typo because I’m pretty young to be getting a hip replacement,” she said.
They have spent the last two years supporting each other through therapy and surgery
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF BREAST CANCER AND WHO CAN GET IT?
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia – one in seven women and one in 716 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime.
In Australia, the five-year overall breast cancer survival rate for women is 91%. If the cancer is confined to the breast, 96% of patients are alive five years after diagnosis; this number excludes those dying from other diseases. When the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival drops to 80%.
Most people with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
Signs and symptoms include:
New lumps, thickening in the breast, changes in the shape or size of the breast, and changes in the shape of the nipple.
Some women have no symptoms and it is only found during a mammogram.
Both women and men can get breast cancer. Everybody can. For both men and women, contact your doctor immediately if you notice any new or unusual changes in your breasts.
SOURCE: NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION
“By September the left hip had collapsed and I was booked for a full replacement which I postponed until December because it meant weeks without driving which is difficult when you have children even if you have an amazing support network like me.
“For eight weeks I couldn’t relax in a comfortable chair, drive a car or dress myself.”
At this point the right side showed only mild signs or weakness, but by April it too had collapsed.
“I’m just starting to exercise again, and after two years of going to the doctor I’m finally feeling okay, even normal,” she said.
The hips can usually last up to 15 years.
“But I hope mine will last into old age,” said the mother of two.
Margaret is now on the mend but admits having had two other major surgeries so soon after the cancer, which was difficult.
The sisters are looking forward to their first regular Christmas in two years – one where their children don’t have to miss out on the excitement of the day in any way
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some people have no signs or symptoms at all.
Some warning signs of breast cancer are:
New lump in the breast or armpit (armpit)
thickening or swelling of part of the breast
Irritation or deepening of the breast skin
Redness or scaly skin around the nipples or breasts
Nipple retraction or nipple pain
Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood
Any change in the size or shape of the breast
pain in any area of the chest
Keep in mind that these symptoms can also occur with other conditions that aren’t cancer.
Source: CDC
Her children had to help her dress some mornings because she couldn’t bend down to put on pants in the weeks following each surgery.
“They were seven and eleven and they really needed to be pacing around the house and understanding that by 6:30 or 7 I would be exhausted and ready for bed,” she said.
Both women were put into chemical menopause after their cancer was discovered.
But after struggling to return to the hospital every month for hormone-blocking injections, Aisling decided to have her ovaries removed.
“It’s been going really well and it’s been so good for me because now I feel less like a patient, in fact I feel really good,” she said.
She has already had a double mastectomy as part of her cancer treatment and is happy to have the surgeries behind her.
“Plus, I also had my port-a-cath outside — which is a relief because I had to go back to where I got the chemo every six weeks to have it cleaned, which wasn’t nice,” she said.
The sisters say they are finally feeling good and mentally recovering from the rollercoaster of the last two years
Now the mother-of-one is working to get her strength and fitness back on track.
“Most people don’t realize that you lose a lot of arm strength during a double mastectomy, especially when a lot of lymph nodes are removed,” she said.
“So this is my first time doing yoga in my life and I love it.”
The mothers are looking forward to their first Christmas without any medical complications since the initial diagnosis.
They are also happy to announce that their Lula Eye Mask brand has only gone from strength to strength.
“Mags was able to leave her 14-year job and we’re both full-time in the business now,” Aisling said.
“We do all our work from home and move from one house to another,” she added.
This is helpful on days when they aren’t feeling so well.
Their business selling self-warming eye masks is booming — although they have to juggle it with their health emergencies
“We’ve both been through cancer and understand the side effects and can bridge the gap when the other needs a break.”
The sisters said they were inundated with messages from breast cancer survivors who wanted to support the company and the community they have built.
“People share their stories with us and they’re so heartwarming that I try to respond to each one, but sometimes it takes me a few days to find the right words,” Aisling said.
“We’re so proud to be able to remind women to take a few minutes for themselves without feeling guilty about it.
“Women do so much, self-care is so important whether you’re sick or not.”