Ellie Rogers She was 38 when she felt a pen-sized lump on her collarbone and almost ruled it out, only to receive a devastating, life-changing diagnosis a few days later.
The Melbourne mum, now 45, was busy juggling her two children and her personal creative endeavors when she noticed something was wrong.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Ellie revealed that discovering she had an aggressive form of breast cancer was a “lucky coincidence” because she was “perfectly healthy” and had no symptoms.
“I came home from dinner with my husband and I was lying in bed with my hand on my chest,” she said of one night in August 2017.
“I found a small lump very high up, almost on my collarbone, and I remember thinking it was unusual.”
Ellie didn’t feel like the lump was anywhere near her chest, but alarm bells started ringing in her head.
‘One of my best friends is a breast surgeon, so I sent her a photo of where the lump was and she told me to make an appointment with the doctor.
“He said it was very high up, but breast tissue sometimes goes up to the neck.”
Ellie Rogers was 38 when she felt a lump the size of a pen on her collarbone and almost ruled it out.
When Ellie went to the doctor for an ultrasound the next day, it was as if the lump had completely disappeared.
“I couldn’t find it anymore, but I insisted on getting a scan anyway because I was sure I felt something funny the night before,” Ellie said.
“I was lucky I did because the lump had gone down and was between my ribcage.”
A technician immediately said the results were “really dangerous” and “looked like breast cancer.”
“I completely freaked out because they weren’t supposed to say that, they weren’t doctors.” I still had to get an MRI and wait for a call from an official doctor, but someone already told me I had breast cancer,” Ellie said.
She revealed that the time in limbo was “anxiety-producing” and she felt like her entire life was on pause.
“A doctor called me a few days later to confirm my diagnosis, and soon after that I was taken in for a lumpectomy so my doctors would remove the tumor and examine it,” she said.
The growth was 2 cm and it was an early stage of triple negative breast cancer, which is the most aggressive type.
When Ellie (left) went to the doctor for an ultrasound the next day, it was as if the lump had completely disappeared.
“I was lucky to catch it so early because it would have been a fast-growing tumor,” he said.
The mother then saw several oncologists to determine the best course of action, which ended up being four months of chemotherapy.
She said the treatment was “horrible” and “made her feel like a sick person.”
‘I wasn’t sick when I started, I was perfectly healthy. But the chemotherapy completely shook me,” he recalled.
Ellie said her children were one of the main reasons she fought so hard to get better.
‘My children were three and five at the time; They were so little that I couldn’t talk to them about it. “I didn’t want to worry them and they were too young to understand it anyway,” he said.
‘It was hard to pretend nothing was happening while I felt so bad. I felt very guilty about missing bedtime stories or dropping off and picking up the kids at school; I really wanted to do that for them.
‘I wasn’t sure how much time I had left or if I was even going to make it. All I wanted to do was be around my kids. My biggest fear was not seeing them grow up.’
The Melbourne mum was busy juggling her two children and her personal creative endeavors when she noticed something was wrong.
Ellie leaned on her husband and sister (right) during chemotherapy.
Going through treatment was also difficult because Ellie “went into hiding” while she recovered.
‘I didn’t want any help from people, I only had my husband and my sister. “My husband was amazing: he did all this research on effective treatments,” she said.
‘She found that the more movement you do before and after your chemotherapy sessions, the better it will be because it will get your blood flowing.
‘My husband forced me to do exercises and it wasn’t good at all because I felt terrible.
“It was so surreal to be a person going through chemotherapy; I felt like I didn’t know what I was going through.” “It felt like the worst hangover in the world and it was constant.”
Ellie wore an ice cap during her sessions to protect her hair follicles and preserve a sense of normality.
The mother received the BRCA gene diagnosis shortly after completing chemotherapy.
The BRCA gene is a mutation that dramatically increases a woman’s lifetime risk of developing cancer.
Ellie decided to have a double mastectomy and hysterectomy as a preventive measure.
She revealed her amazement that being able to feel the pen-sized lump saved her life.
“It wasn’t far enough along for symptoms to occur,” Ellie said.
Going through treatment was also difficult because Ellie ‘hid’ while she recovered.
The now 45-year-old devotes her time to working as a philanthropist and co-founded the Two Sisters Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.
The now 45-year-old woman dedicates her time to working as a philanthropist and co-founded the Two Sisters Foundation which raises awareness and funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.
The charity works with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne.
Ellie has since moved to Noosa with her family and has a newfound respect for life.
“I just wanted to be where I wanted to be and live the life I wanted to live,” he said.
‘My husband and I wanted to get out of the city and raise our children on the beach. I didn’t know if I was going to get sick and not survive, I just knew that I wanted to be up there.
The main lesson Ellie wants everyone to know is to trust your instincts and stand up for yourself.
“If you feel something wrong or if you have any indication, just go and talk to your doctor and get tested.”