A young chef who thought her terrible back pain was due to long hours in the kitchen has been told she had just 12 months to live after a shock diagnosis.
Middleweight “Maddy” Bouchard struggled with years of back pain, but did what most 20-year-olds would do: popped a Panadol and got on with her life.
“I thought I was healthy because I was working 70-80 hour shifts a week, so when I started having back pain I ignored it because I thought it was just from overwork,” Maddy told Daily Mail Australia.
When she felt a “noticeable” lump in her breast, she never thought anything was suspicious because she was “too young to have cancer.”
The chef was living a seemingly normal life in Sydney. She had landed her dream job at a five-star hotel restaurant when she noticed her chronic back pain was getting progressively worse.
But after three months of suffering, she knew something was seriously wrong.
Her primary care physician dismissed her symptoms, so she switched to another doctor who immediately sent her for a CT scan, ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy.
At just 27, Maddy was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer and a life-ending prognosis after the disease spread to her lungs, liver and bones.
Middleweight ‘Maddy’ Bouchard battled back pain for years but did what most 20-year-olds would do – popped a Panadol and got on with her life.
The chef was living a seemingly normal life in Sydney. She had landed her dream job at a five-star hotel restaurant when she noticed her chronic back pain was getting progressively worse.
At just 27 years old, Maddy was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer.
“I felt like my life was flashing before my eyes,” he explained.
“But I’m determined to make the last year of my life worthwhile. No more ‘later’ or ‘what if’s’. I just want to get everything right here and now.”
A year before her shock diagnosis, Maddy, who had lived in Australia for more than 10 years after moving from Indonesia in 2013, noticed a lump in her right breast but assumed it was nothing serious.
As she rose in the culinary world, she was promoted to chef de partie, where she was in charge of running the restaurant’s kitchen.
He worked for a major hotel chain and his job required him to move from one kitchen to another, so he was constantly on his feet from 10pm to 6am.
“I had just started my dream job, working as a chef, so I didn’t want anything to get in my way,” he explained.
‘Not many chefs want to work night shifts, so I only worked at night because I was in high demand.
‘But slowly, I felt pain in my back… The stabbing pain got worse when I woke up, I had to roll onto my stomach and slowly get up from that position.’
Over the years he suffered from back pain, but the symptom was dismissed as a herniated disc.
The chef was living a seemingly normal life until she was told she may only have 12 months to live.
The X-ray shows that the cancer had spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body.
I was taking Panadol and having weekly massages to relieve the pain, but nothing seemed to work.
“The pain wasn’t going away, so I thought it was strange,” she said.
The pain in his back became so “unbearable” that he began to have difficulty concentrating at work.
“In the end I couldn’t stand the pain any longer and went to the family doctor,” she said.
‘I initially went to a GP who ignored my concerns and pleas to get a mammogram. I then switched to my current GP, which was a blessing.
“She listened to me and immediately ordered a CT scan, ultrasound and mammogram, which is expensive without Medicare, but I’m glad I did it.”
When tests detected abnormal cells, her doctor referred her for a biopsy that led to her being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in November 2023.
“I had mixed feelings. I cried and screamed when my GP told me I had breast cancer,” Maddy said.
“I noticed the lump for a year, but I didn’t know I had breast cancer. I thought only older people could get it, because I was young.”
She was told the cancerous lump in her breast was the size of a golf ball, measuring 5.5cm.
Maddy said she is “cherishing” each day that comes and is determined to live life to the fullest.
Doctors estimated that she may have developed the cancer at the age of 24.
Her whole world came crashing down when her oncologist told her she probably had between 12 and 24 months to live.
“My oncologist was not optimistic,” she explained.
“I have to be positive about it, otherwise I will lose the battle against my mind.”
Because the cancer has spread beyond her breast to other organs in her body, Maddy said her only treatment options are chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
“Surgery was ruled out because the cancer had already spread. I have had three cycles of chemotherapy and one cycle of radiotherapy so far. The doctors are optimistic and believe that the treatments will allow me to live longer,” he said.
“My recent scan confirmed that the cancer had responded well to chemotherapy and my doctor said the cancer in my breast had shrunk a little, which is good.”
Maddy said she had to use her life savings and retirement funds to cover the cost of her expensive medical bills.
“I can retire early given the circumstances,” he said.
Maddy pictured after chemotherapy. She lost her hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and all body hair.
His family has traveled to Sydney to be by his side as he battles cancer.
“My family had to stay with me to take care of me because I couldn’t take care of myself. It was very painful for me to move and I was nauseous all the time,” she said.
“At first I couldn’t bathe myself, I was in so much pain, my sister had to stay up and massage me in the middle of the night.”
Just weeks after her cancer diagnosis, she ended up back in the hospital, fighting for her life after developing pneumonia, a type of chest infection that affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs.
“I was in the emergency room after almost dying from pneumonia,” he said.
Maddy stopped chemotherapy a few months ago so she could try alternative medicine.
“There’s nothing wrong with trying anything to save my life,” he said.
“I now take 150 mg of morphine twice a day, plus other medications, and buprenorphine pain patches, just to control the pain, because the pain is what worries me the most.”
As her savings were running low, Maddy started a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising money for her ongoing medical bills.
“I had to stop working to focus on getting better, so right now I have no income to pay the bills,” he said.
“I hope I can win this battle.”
Just weeks after her cancer diagnosis, she ended up back in the hospital, fighting for her life after developing pneumonia, a type of chest infection that affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs.
Maddy said she always wanted to be a doctor and hopes to overcome her battle with cancer.
“I hope that one day I can go back to school and become a doctor, so that after I beat this cancer I can help find a cure for cancer,” he said.
Warning signs
She hopes that by sharing her story, Australians can look out for early warning signs, including unusual lumps, sudden weight loss, fatigue or loss of appetite.
‘Be on the lookout for any unusual lumps around the chest and breast area, any unexplained pain that doesn’t go away and it won’t hurt to go to the doctor and ask for more tests,’ she said.
“Before my diagnosis, I also suffered from sudden weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite. If I had caught the warning signs in time, I could have received the necessary treatments.”
Most people with early-stage breast cancer can be treated successfully.
For now, Maddy said she is simply “enjoying” each day that comes and is determined to live life to the fullest.
“I want to keep fighting despite the difficulties I face,” he said.
To make a donation, you can find Maddy’s GoFundMe at the point.
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