An interview with Amber Arkell: insight into a young woman's breast cancer journey
Amber Arkell was just 26 years old when her boyfriend found a lump in her breast.
It turned out to be stage 1, grade 3 HER2+ breast cancer, and Amber has had over a year of active treatment to treat her diagnosis including a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, preventative nipple sparing bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction and fourteen doses of Herceptin. Having recently finished her final round of Herceptin, she is now focused on transitioning into life after cancer. We chatted to her about tackling breast cancer as a young woman.
A common misconception about breast cancer is that it’s a disease that develops only in older women, how aware of breast cancer were you before you were diagnosed?
Not aware at all, why should I have been? I have no family of breast cancer, nor did I know anyone close to me diagnosed with this disease. I was getting cervical smears from the recommended age but at no point was it explained to me that I should be regularly checking my breasts; I was shocked to learn that we should be doing breast self-examinations from the age of 20.
Did you choose to have any fertility preservation?
Yes, I did. Kieran and I had only been together a few years when I was diagnosed and were not at the stage of wanting to start a family. With chemotherapy being part of my treatment it was offered to me to have IVF done in case the treatment impacted my fertility long term. Kieran administered the injections to me for 10 days. I couldn’t do it – I tried but I couldn’t go through with it. I went in for collection and walked away with 5 eggs that are now on ice in Auckland. I am so grateful this was provided to me.
It must have been really empowering to take control at your Head Shave BBQ.
I was nervous, mainly because it signified the start of what was to come (although I really had no idea what that would be). I was on such a high that so many people came to be part of that day. It also helped my family because they could see I was okay with it. Looking in the mirror for the first time was a weird moment but an honest one. I loved being bald. It was empowering, liberating and I really felt like I saw who I was for the first time as a young woman.
Did you have trouble coming to grips with your new body?
Like most women, there were things about my body I didn’t love. I’ve struggled with the changes to my body that the treatment has caused. It’s hard. I gained about 12kg through chemo, I couldn’t be active like I used to, my sex drive was wiped out and recovery post my preventative surgery was hard – all that takes a lot to get used to. Now that I am out of active treatment I am doing CrossFit and playing netball this winter as well so one step at a time.
Tell us about your 8th of the Month Campaign.
Once my blog, “When things went tits up,” gained an unexpected following and media attention, I knew that I needed to do something more to get women proactively checking their breasts. 8 is my lucky number, always has been and one day it came to me that if I turn an 8 on its side, it kind of looks like boobs. So, the 8th of the month was created. I’m blown away by the women who message me on a weekly basis to thank me, to tell me that it encouraged them to get their first mammogram, or that they found something because of this monthly check. I’ve had two women who the night before their breast surgeries read everything from start to finish, watched every video and said it put them at complete ease.
Your dream is to be a motivational speaker, will you be speaking at any Pink Ribbon Breakfasts this May?
Yes, I’ve been asked to speak at several Pink Ribbon fundraisers. I never thought I would find my voice through a cancer diagnosis but it has certainly given me a lot of strength and confidence. That people are willing to listen…it really means a lot, more than people realise.
People say that despite being a tremendously difficult time, being diagnosed with cancer can have a silver lining, do you agree with this?
With anything in life, it’s about how you as an individual choose to deal with the situation. Cancer sucks. It’s as simple as that. Eventually though, the breast cancer diagnosis will be a thing that happened, not who I am or something I am defined by, just an experience I had to go through to get to where I want to go next.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself through your cancer journey?
I have learnt the importance of putting myself first when I really need to. So many women are busy doing things for their kids or partners or work that they forget to look after themselves. Without our health, we are unable to be the best version of ourselves.