Dr. Cat Stone was 43 when she first noticed a suspicious lump near her armpit – but to her relief, tests revealed it was simply an overgrowth of normal breast tissue.
But two years later, in September 2019, the lump ‘changed’.
Little did she know, this small change would set Cat on an extremely challenging health journey involving years of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and emotional turmoil.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the Auckland-based doctor, who had seven years of medical school and plastic surgery training before joining the cosmetics industry, admitted she had put off having the lump examined for a few months.
“I didn’t do much about it when it changed because it was the busiest time of year for us,” she said. ‘I waited until January 2020 before I could finally make an appointment.’
The lump went from ‘soft’ and ‘squishy’ to ‘firm’, like the back of her knuckle.
Cat was prompted to receive a check by the memory of her late friend Helena, who died of breast cancer at the age of 37.
‘I felt a push to do something because of Helena, but I didn’t expect them to find anything. The mammogram was fine, but we did an ultrasound anyway,” she said.
‘The doctor was casually talking to me about my week, but then I saw his face change. He suddenly focused on the ultrasound and I stuck my head around the corner to see what it was.’
Doctor Cat Stone was 43 when she first noticed a suspicious lump in her armpit
Speaking to FEMAIL, the Auckland-based cosmetic doctor who spent seven years studying medicine and specializing in surgery, admitted she had put off getting the lump checked for months.
As a doctor, Cat could read the ultrasound and identify the signs of cancer. After a biopsy, she was diagnosed with grade 2 hormonal breast cancer.
“My first thought was that I was going to die,” she said.
“My second was that I was going to lose my breast and I was never going to feel sexy again.”
Cat’s job in the cosmetic world has greatly influenced her thought process.
‘Through my work, how we feel and how we look are very intertwined. “Society places too much of a woman’s sexy image on her breasts,” she said.
Cat was quickly handed a treatment plan, which involved her having a lumpectomy at the end of February before receiving regular radiotherapy sessions during the Covid lockdown.
The lump went from ‘soft’ and ‘squishy’ to ‘firm’, like the back of her knuckle
A year later, in October 2021, Kat developed another lump in the same breast
“I started tamoxifen shortly afterwards, which put me into early menopause and ended up with the worst side effects,” she said. ‘The medication left me with extreme fatigue, brain fog and I could barely get out of bed.’
Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) used to treat breast cancer. It works by blocking the receptors and aims to prevent the development of breast cancer.
“I had to stop after three months,” she said.
Cat thought her life was back on track, but then things took a turn. Her father was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in October 2020 – and a year later, in October 2021, she was diagnosed with another lump in the same breast.
“I remember I was having a rough week because I was experiencing painful cramps and I wanted to get that checked out along with the new lump,” Cat said.
‘I found out my breast cancer had returned – and then I had a pelvic ultrasound which showed fibroids and an unusual mass next to my ovary.’
Cat was preparing for her breast reconstruction, so the doctors couldn’t cut into her abdomen yet.
After Cat was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer, she feared she would never be “sexy” again
In August 2024, Cat started experiencing strange symptoms that she couldn’t explain. She had lost a lot of weight and her appetite was rapidly decreasing – both common symptoms of cancer
Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) breast reconstruction is a surgical procedure that uses the patient’s own abdominal tissue to reconstruct a breast after a mastectomy.
Doctors removed the fibroids from her pelvis, but decided to focus on the breast cancer first.
Before Cat’s father passed away at the end of 2022, she decided to start taking tamoxifen again to treat the cancer.
‘I flew to Mexico so my mother could care for me, but then I had to stop taking the medication a month later because it gave me suicidal thoughts. “I couldn’t stop crying,” she said.
‘I woke up every morning at 4am and felt like the world was closing in on me. I started thinking about crashing my scooter into oncoming traffic.’
Those feelings were completely foreign to Cat, who described herself as an energetic, positive person.
It still took 18 months for the tamoxifen to completely leave Cat’s system, and during that time she was unable to work.
In October 2023, a scan showed that the lump in Cat’s ovary had grown 2cm in six months and measured 6.5cm.
“I had to have a hysterectomy because of it, but I hoped my cancer journey was finally over,” she said.
But that wasn’t the case.
“It forced me to have a hysterectomy in 2023, but then I hoped my cancer journey was finally over,” she said. But that wasn’t the case
In August 2024, Cat experienced strange symptoms that she found difficult to explain.
She had lost a lot of weight – a common symptom of cancer.
‘I went to the GP and expressed my concerns. “She told me I would be fine – that the chance of me developing another primary cancer was low and refused the tests for cancer markers,” she said.
Two weeks later, Cat discovered a lump in her other breast and immediately went to her oncologist.
The doctors scanned her side and, in addition to the new lump, also discovered some calcification at the top of her breast.
The results showed that the lump was a high-grade precancerous stage, meaning Cat had to undergo another mastectomy.
She wanted to wait until December so she could travel to Mexico for her mother’s 70th birthday, but follow-up tests showed Cat’s chest “lighting up like a snowstorm.”
“My oncologist said we absolutely couldn’t wait and had to have the surgery immediately,” she said.
After the surgery, Cat once again hoped for the best and wished she was finally at the end of her cancer journey
After the surgery, Cat once again hoped for the best and wished she was finally at the end of her cancer journey.
“When they went in, my doctors found three different invasive cancers, and an 8cm lump of high-grade pre-cancerous disease,” Cat said.
‘They also found cancer in my sentinel lymph node.
‘It marked the beginning of the hardest part of my journey as I have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation and try the hormone blockers again – even more aggressively than last time.’
Cat also had surgery to remove her lymph nodes – and was overjoyed when the results showed there was no cancer in them.
In the first week of December she will start chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy in her chest and armpit.
Despite experiencing the lowest lows of her life, Cat shared the positive side of her diagnoses.
“I used to be such a workaholic and work almost 70 to 80 hours a week,” she said.
‘I was also a trainer and did sessions locally and internationally and attended conferences all over the world.
“But cancer really forced me to slow down and take care of myself.”
‘I was a trainer and did sessions locally and internationally and attended conferences all over the world. But cancer really forced me to slow down and take care of myself,” she said
The doctor said she was “angry” and felt “betrayed” in the aftermath of her cancer journey
Cat said she was “angry” and felt “betrayed” after the latest news about her seemingly never-ending cancer journey.
‘I’m a doctor, I eat right, I exercise, I do yoga, meditation, mindfulness. “I do everything the books tell you to change your life and prevent cancer, but it still came back,” she said.
“But the anger passed and I’m grateful to be here and happy with the support system I have around me.
‘I had a group chat on Messenger with my friends and every time I needed something, someone was there to help. There were always a few people who came with me to appointments and helped me with food.’
Cat’s friends also created an Excel spreadsheet and had a schedule to check in with her.
“We went to the park, on a picnic, and it was great to make sure I had enough contact with people,” she said.
“I didn’t have to worry about the little things, I could just focus on getting better.”
Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 if you need support