Kristy was an active mum-of-two when a hospital stay led to a life-changing diagnosis

Kristy Cooper was a very active 44-year-old when a medical condition led to a stint in hospital and a life-changing diagnosis.

Cooper, a single mum to two boys aged 15 and 20, worked as an office manager in Melbourne and in her spare time loved to hit the gym or take part in endurance events.

One month after taking part in the 30-kilometre Coastrek Mornington Peninsula walk last May, Cooper began to experience pain in her right breast.

She went to her GP, who diagnosed a breast abscess and started her on antibiotics, but it failed to improve.

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"It was getting worse, I was having fevers, so I ended up in hospital," Cooper told 9honey.

While there, doctors ordered a biopsy after tests showed a suspicious mass in the same breast.

"They said it could be a benign cyst," she told 9honey, "In my brain, it was nothing."

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But when Cooper returned to the hospital for a follow-up appointment weeks later, her world came crashing down.

"They said it was breast cancer," Cooper said.

"That abscess saved my life." 

Cooper was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer, which doctors said was unrelated to the abscess. 

She said she immediately went into 'mum mode': "My exact words to [the doctor] were 'OK, what's next?' I just went straight into fixing it."

Cooper's breast cancer was classified as NST, or no specific type, but was hormone receptive.

It was also grade 3, which meant it was aggressive, so doctors wanted to move fast.

"It was a Thursday, and they said, 'We would like to do surgery next Tuesday. Is that suitable for you?'" she recalls.

"That is when I thought, 'Holy s--t. That is quick', because I know people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer who have waited six to eight weeks for surgery."

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Cooper underwent a lumpectomy, by which time the tumour had tripled in size, from 2cm when it was found to 6cm. Five lymph nodes were also removed, with one showing traces of cancer.

"It was stage 3," Cooper said.

Still, Cooper felt positive, with doctors telling her the type of breast cancer she had was the "best one you can get" and had good five-year survival rates.

Cooper said it was still tough breaking the news to her boys, Xavier and Zac.

"I told them, 'I got my results back, it's [been caught] really, really early and I am going to start treatment and it's business as usual'," she said.

By the time she returned for a follow-up appointment to discuss treatment options, Cooper had done her own homework, even deciding the type of chemotherapy she wanted.

"They were pretty shocked that I knew so much about it," she said.

She embarked on four rounds of chemotherapy, which was delivered every three weeks.

She opted to wear a cold cap to try to stop her hair falling out, which she said mostly worked. 

It soon became clear that no amount of positive thinking was going to ward off the debilitating side effects, including severe nausea, migraines and extreme fatigue.

"It was very confronting," Cooper said.

"I thought I would have chemo on a Friday, then have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to recover, then be right for work on Monday, but that didn't happen at all.

"Instead, I was sick Monday [to] Friday, and worked two weeks out of three."

Cooper's third round of chemo resulted in a toxicity reaction that landed her in hospital for eight days.

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She had her last round of chemo on December 13 last year and had two weeks off treatment over Christmas and New Year, giving her a much-needed chance to reconnect with her boys, albeit differently.

"Our Christmas Day tradition is to go to the beach for a picnic, but I could not go out in the sun because of the chemo, so we had a picnic at home inside."

In early January she embarked on more gruelling treatment; this time 20 rounds of radiotherapy delivered every weekday for four weeks, which left her physically exhausted.

"I went to work and I came home and went to sleep," she said.

When that phase of treatment ended, she went straight into hormone therapy, which includes a weekly injection and daily tablet to stop oestrogen production.

Faced with staying on the medication for up to 10 years, she is now on a waiting list to have her ovaries removed.

"I feel like I have been in the trenches and now I am coming out the other side."

The treatment also put her into medical menopause, which brought its own debilitating symptoms, including hot flushes.

Probably the hardest part of her treatment has been "losing all ability to exercise" – something that has always been important to Cooper for her mental health.

"I have an uncle who suffered from mental health issues and schizophrenia and I had postnatal depression after my first child," she said.

"Being a single mum, my 'me-time' was getting in the gym and doing weights or a fitness class. Not being able to do that throughout treatment was tough."

During treatment, Cooper agreed to go on a trial run by leading breast cancer charity Breast Cancer Trials.

Afterwards, the charity got in touch and offered her one of its Charity Superstar Sponsor spots in the Run Melbourne event held in July. 

Despite having never been a runner, Cooper decided to accept the challenge and signed up to take part in its 21.1km half marathon.

A recent health setback – a staph infection was discovered in Cooper's breast surgery wound and resulted in weeks of treatment – meant she had to delay training for the event until this month.

Cooper, now 45, hopes that by taking part, she can send a message to other women who have just been diagnosed with breast cancer that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

She recently started seeing a breast cancer counsellor, who helped her realise she could stay positive while also acknowledging she had been through a tough time. 

"The run, to me, is to prove to my kids and anyone going through this that you can get through to the other side," she said.

"I feel like I have been in the trenches and now I am coming out the other side.

"When I was first diagnosed I thought this was something I was going to go through and just close that chapter.

"Now I know it will always be there, and be part of the chapter, but that's OK because there is beauty in the broken."

Run Melbourne is a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Trials, which is one of the world's leading breast cancer research organisations.

Cooper has so far raised $1000. You can sponsor her run here

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