A fit and healthy pilot has revealed how she was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 33 after ‘accidentally’ discovering a lump in her breast while watching TV.
Tamlyn Gresser, from New South Wales, said she was itchy and happened to stroke the hard, pea-sized bump while scratching it.
‘It felt like a hard pea. But I never thought for a second that it would be something serious,” she told FEMAIL.
Tamlyn went to the doctor, who didn’t seem too concerned about the lump.
She had an ultrasound and mammogram just to be sure, and they were both clear.
Tamlyn had a trip planned to Morocco, so the lump was pushed to the back of her head and weeks later she flew abroad.
‘At that point I was over it and I thought, ‘I don’t have to deal with this now. I want to enjoy my holiday’. Then I got complacent, life got busy,” she said.
Twelve months later she noticed that the lump had gotten bigger and she started to panic.
Tamlyn Gresser (pictured) was diagnosed with stage one hormone receptor-positive invasive breast cancer in May 2024
The young pilot noticed a pea-sized lump on her breast in May 2023, but doctors weren’t concerned, so she forgot about it. Twelve months later she received the devastating news
Then life as she knew it was turned upside down and at the age of 33 she was diagnosed with breast cancer after a biopsy.
The lump was a 2cm tumor and Tamlyn was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in May 2024 – a year after she first noticed the lump.
“I was completely shocked and there were thousands of thoughts and emotions going through my head,” she said, recalling the day she was diagnosed.
“I felt like life because I knew it was being ripped out from under me in an instant. The first thing I thought was, “Why didn’t I take action sooner? I’ve had this lump for 12 months, it’s all because of me.”
Tamlyn began to blame herself and regretted not pushing for more tests.
‘I thought to myself, ‘I should have pushed for a biopsy, why didn’t I?’ she said.
‘Before I was diagnosed, doctors weren’t concerned, so I thought there was nothing to worry about. I just chose the easy option.’
The pea-sized lump was Tamlyn’s only symptom and she has no family history of the disease, so she was completely stunned by the news.
“I felt like life because I knew it was being ripped out from under me in an instant,” she said
‘I felt sick at the thought of having to call my mother to tell her I had cancer. I felt so guilty for letting it get to this point, and heartbroken that I now had to break the news to my loved ones,” Tamlyn said.
“I kept going back and forth between this terrifying panic and then pulling myself back to being rational and telling myself to take one step at a time. I spent most of the night praying to God, asking Him to let me live.”
When Tamlyn got the news on Friday, she had to wait until Monday to see a doctor, which she described as “the most horrible” feeling.
A lumpectomy was recommended by surgeons to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue.
Fortunately, ‘hundreds of tests’ confirmed the cancer had not spread, but she was still given chemotherapy as a precaution.
Tamlyn had surgery to remove the lump four weeks after diagnosis. Tests confirmed it had not spread, but she still received chemotherapy as a precaution. Tamlyn hopes that sharing her story will inspire other women to check their breasts regularly
Tamlyn also wants children in the future and luckily decided to freeze some of her eggs last year before the cancer ordeal.
‘I always thought that one day I would become a mother. Freezing my eggs last year was a blessing. It’s important for me to keep my options open,” she said.
A month later, Tamlyn had surgery to remove the cancer, followed by the treatment, which will end around Christmas. The operation went well, but she will need regular monitoring in the coming years.
Tamlyn hopes sharing her story will inspire others women to check their breasts regularly.
She also shares her story to raise money for Breast cancer trials And Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I never thought this would happen to me, but I’m lucky it wasn’t worse,” she said.
Every day in Australia, around 57 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, including three women under the age of 40.
In September, as Tamlyn continues to undergo chemotherapy, she, her mother and closest friends will deliver a Breast Check Shower Card to 57 mailboxes on random streets across Sydney every day for the month.
The ’57 PINK POST DROPs’ project will reach a total of 1,710 households and aims to raise awareness and encourage women of all ages to check their breasts.
‘Having a project, turning my pain into something positive, along with the proven benefits of daily exercise during treatment, are all big motivators for me. I hope I reach someone who really needs to check their breasts or book that screening, which is the best motivator of all,” Tamlyn said.