“I Am Barely 30 I Never Thought I'd Have A Tumour Nearly The Size Of My Whole Breast.”
Her World Singapore|October 2020
More young women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last decade. Two women share poignant stories of fear and survival, and why self-examination can save lives.
“I Am Barely 30 I Never Thought I'd Have A Tumour Nearly The Size Of My Whole Breast.”

In February, she discovered a hard lump on her breast and experienced fainting, and feverish spells. Two months later, in April, after consulting a specialist, accountant Oh Mei Qi was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. She’s only 29.

“I’m anaemic, so I never thought these ailments (fainting spells and fever) were pointing to breast cancer,” says Mei Qi, who’s currently undergoing chemotherapy.

“I’m barely 30... I never thought I’d have a tumour nearly the size of my whole breast, and be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.”

Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for about 10 to 15 per cent of all breast cancers. It’s a type of breast cancer that does not have any of the three receptors commonly found on breast cancer cells.

Mei Qi adds: “I was really feeling down and emotional. At times, I cried myself to sleep. I worried about my work, my family...”

Mei Qi has been going through chemotherapy treatments for five months. The tumour has to be shrunk before she undergoes a mastectomy. Although Mei Qi had come across the breast self-examination information, she admits that she didn’t take it too seriously.

“It was during one of the rare occasions where I was casually examining my breasts when I discovered the lump,” she recalls. “But I didn’t think too much about it. I thought (then) that breast cancer only affected women in their 40s and 50s.”

This story is from the October 2020 edition of Her World Singapore.

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This story is from the October 2020 edition of Her World Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

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