Zoe Chung was used to living with a quiet fear most women her age never have to consider.
By 22, the Melbourne event manager had already learned she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation – a genetic fault that can dramatically increase a woman’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
It was information she never asked for, but couldn’t ignore at the age of 19, after her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 40.
‘For my mum to be diagnosed, it was pretty shocking,’ Zoe told the Daily Mail.
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Not long after, Zoe decided to take matters into her own hands and made the decision to get tested too.
When she finally sat with a genetic counsellor eight weeks later at Peter Mac’s Familial Cancer Centre, Zoe was told she was BRCA1 positive.
From then on, she was committed to regular breast screening consisting of yearly scans designed to catch anything early, before it had a chance to spread.
For years, they were clear and she insists she felt healthy and was living her ‘best life’.
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Zoe Chung’s (pictured) life was turned upside down after a routine check-up confirmed she had breast cancer at just 28 years old
At 22, the Melbourne event manager had already learned she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation – a genetic fault that can dramatically increase a woman’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. (Pictured on her wedding day in 2023)
In April 2024, Zoegave birth to her daughter, but shortly after, she developed a blood clot in her leg, which doctors initially thought was linked to pregnancy.
She also battled relentless fatigue and months of night sweats, which were symptoms she dismissed as postpartum changes, especially as her newborn faced her own terrifying health crisis.
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At seven weeks old, Zoe’s daughter was also diagnosed with congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS), a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness and, in her case, severe respiratory issues.
Her baby spent 258 days in hospital in her first year of life.
In the middle of all of that, Zoe’s routine screening was almost put on hold.
Her surgeon had warned her that pregnancy and breastfeeding can skew results, but a week before her appointment, the Familial Cancer Centre called and insisted she come in for a scan.
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Zoe wasn’t breastfeeding so there was no reason to delay, and on reflection now, it was that call that may have saved her life.
After welcoming her daughter in April 2024, Zoe developed a blood clot and struggled with relentless fatigue and night sweats, which she initially brushed off as postpartum symptoms. Just weeks later, her baby was diagnosed with a rare respiratory condition
The scan flagged a ‘non-mass enhancement’ – not a lump, but an area of increased blood flow.
Her surgeon initially reassured her it was common postpartum, but still pushed for a biopsy.
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On Thursday, August 22, 2024, Zoe got the news she’d feared since her early twenties.
She had triple negative breast cancer with a small tumour measuring just 13mm. It was an aggressive type that requires urgent surgery and chemotherapy.
‘I remember driving there thinking, what kind of sick joke… like, what could happen to us this year?’ she said.
‘I was kind of… inappropriately laughing. I was just trying to cope.’
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A routine scan (one of many she’d endured since aged 22) showed unusual blood flow in her breast rather than a lump. On August 22, 2024, Zoe learned she had triple-negative breast cancer – a small but aggressive 13 millimetre tumour requiring immediate treatment
Her surgeon immediately mapped out the plan: surgery within days, chemotherapy, and eventually a double mastectomy, which was something Zoe already knew she wanted due to her genetic risk
‘When I heard the words triple negative and I was like, “well f***, that’s not good.”‘
Her surgeon immediately mapped out the plan: surgery within days, chemotherapy, and eventually a double mastectomy, which was something Zoe already knew she wanted due to her genetic risk.
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A week later on August 29, she had a lumpectomy and lymph node biopsy.
The results brought a sliver of relief that, thankfully, the cancer hadn’t spread to her lymph nodes, and it was only at Stage One.
Zoe began chemotherapy in early October at Peter Mac, completing four gruelling rounds, every three weeks.
‘Every round… that first week was the worst I’ve ever felt in my life,’ she recalled of the dark time that sparked a lot of depression and anxiety for her.
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Thankfully, the cancer hadn’t spread to her lymph nodes, and it was only at Stage One. Zoe began chemotherapy in early October at Peter Mac, completing four gruelling rounds, every three weeks. (Pictured with her daughter during treatment)
But the hardest part wasn’t the nausea or the crushing fatigue, it was being separated from her small baby who, at just four months old, was still in the NICU ward full-time.
‘We would just FaceTime for maybe a minute at a time… as long as I could tolerate it,’ Zoe said.
‘I said to my husband, “I don’t even think she knows that I’m her mum”.’
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Around them, family and friends stepped in to keep the couple afloat with Zoe’s dad and step mum travelling down from Queensland regularly.
Her husband’s family, who lived next door, cooked meals, cleaned and helped with practical care, while her best friend Sasha kept the freezer stocked.
Zoe finished chemotherapy in December 2024 and by February 2025, she underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction.
Now in remission, she sees her oncologist every six months, with scans only if she develops symptoms.
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Zoe began documenting her journey on TikTok after her diagnosis, not expecting it to take off. The community that followed, she says, became a source of strength during her darkest days
And while she admits chemo left long-term side effects, she said her perspective on life has completely shifted.
‘I really don’t sweat the small stuff any . Anything that’s not cancer, or someone dying, or your child being disabled for their entire life, nothing else matters.’
Now she has created an online community by sharing
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through TikTok, which originally started as a ‘bit of a joke’ with her husband after receiving her diagnosis.
This online community of cancer survivors and parents of medically complex children, she says, has been her lifeline on the hardest days throughout treatment.
Now, her message is to spread the word about not underestimating genetic risks, and to not ignore the changes in your body.
In her case, she had no lump and no obvious warning signs, but believes early screening is the reason she’s alive.
‘Knowledge is power,’ she said.
‘If I hadn’t come for that scan… my cancer could have been Stage Three or Four by 2025, and this would have been a very different story.’
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Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-10 07:39:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com