Breast Cancer Australia: Sisters diagnosed within six weeks of each other

Two sisters who were diagnosed with breast cancer within six weeks of each other 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 she noticed that for the first time in her life one of her breasts looked very different from the other.

She immediately went to her doctor, and tests later revealed she had lobular breast cancer, a form of hormone-positive breast cancer that begins in the mammary glands.

The sisters who are both single mothers tackled the illness and treatments together – helping each other with childcare when they could

Margaret immediately began treatment and urged her family, including her mother and two sisters, to get checked for cancer.

To their horror, 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 did her chemotherapy, I had surgery and when I did my chemotherapy, she had her surgery,” Aisling said.

‘That way we could be there for each other and for the children.’

The sisters first told FEMAIL their story a year ago, but complications have arisen since then.

Margaret had both of her hips replaced – after they became weak in 2021 and eventually collapsed after the intense chemotherapy.

Her hip pain started during chemo, but she ignored it, assuming it was normal cancer pain because everything hurt.

Aisling was diagnosed with cancer after Margaret told her to get tested after her own diagnosis

But when the pain became unbearable, she went for a scan despite her ‘scanziety’.

“I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, but I was so relieved that it was something else and not cancer,” she said.

The new medical problem prevented blood from reaching the hips properly, leaving them weak.

Her doctors tried to delay the replacements by giving Margaret bone-strengthening drugs, but one after the other the hips gave out.

“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 quite young to get a hip replacement,” she said.

They have supported each other through therapies and surgery for the past two years

“In September the left hip had collapsed and I was booked in for a full replacement, which I put off until December as it meant weeks without riding, which is hard when you have kids, even if you have a great support network like me.

“For eight weeks I couldn’t relax in a comfortable chair, drive a car or even get dressed.”

At this point, the right side showed only slight signs or weakness, but by April it had collapsed as well.

“I’ve just started working out again and finally, after two years of medical appointments, I’m starting to feel good, even normal,” she said.

The hips can usually last up to 15 years.

“But I hope mine lasts well into old age,” said the mother of two.

Margaret is now on the mend, but admits she had to undergo two more major surgeries so soon after cancer was difficult.

The sisters are looking forward to their first regular Christmas in two years – one where their kids don’t have to miss the excitement of the day in any way.

Her kids had to help her get dressed some mornings because she couldn’t bend down to put on pants for weeks after each surgery.

“They were seven and eleven and really had to walk around the house and understand that I would be exhausted and ready to go to bed by 6:30 or 7:00,” she said.

Both women were put into chemical menopause after the discovery of their cancers.

But after struggling every month to go to the hospital for hormone-blocking injections, Aisling decided to have her ovaries removed.

“It went really well and it’s been so good for me because I feel less patient now, in fact, I feel really good,” she said.

She had already had a double mastectomy as part of her cancer treatment and is delighted to have the surgeries behind her.

“I also had my port-a-cath-out — which is a relief because I had to go back to where I got chemo to have it cleaned every six weeks, which wasn’t fun,” she said.

The sisters say they are finally feeling well and are mentally healing from the roller coaster ride of the past 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 they’re removing a lot of lymph nodes,” she said.

“So I’m doing yoga for the first time in my life and I love it.”

The moms have been looking forward to their first Christmas with no medical complications since they were first diagnosed.

They are also excited to reveal that their Lula Eye Mask brand has continued to grow stronger.

“Mags was able to quit her 14-year job and we are both now working full-time in the company,” Aisling said.

“We do all our work from home and move from one house to another,” she added.

This is useful on days when they are not feeling so well.

Their business selling self-heating eye masks is booming – despite having to juggle their health issues

“We’ve both had cancer and understand the side effects and can take the rest when the other needs a break.”

The sisters said they were inundated with messages from breast cancer survivors wanting to support the company and the community they have built.

“People share their stories with us and they are so heartwarming, I try to respond to everyone but sometimes it takes a few days to find the right words,” Aisling said.

“We’re so proud to be able to remind women to take a few moments of self-care without feeling guilty about it.”

“Women do so much, self-care is so important whether you’re sick or not.”