Sometimes life throws you curve balls, the kind you never expected. Mine came in the form of a breast cancer diagnosis in 2019, it was just after my 30th birthday and I found a lump in Vietnam.

It can’t be cancer I assured myself, I’m far too young to get cancer. I was soon headed to Europe to start work in the busy summer tourist season ahead, but it wasn’t to be. On my return to London, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Not only was the lump cancerous but I had been told it had spread to my bones. I was told I had one chance and one chance only to fight this, I was also told I was going to die.

When I returned to Australia, I started all the medical treatments, but I knew that to beat cancer, medical treatments wouldn’t be enough. I would need to fight cancer with everything I had, by supporting my physical and my mental health, through support that must exist somewhere.

Throughout my treatment, Choices proved invaluable. When I needed a shoulder to cry on, when I needed advice to make treatment decisions, when I needed someone who could understand, who actually got it. Choices was there. The connections and the help available was a huge part of my recovery. The team at Choices supported me every step of the way and the lovely support from the other people that go to choices means I’m always in touch with people who know what’s its like to sit through chemo or across from the oncologist.

Now that I have a clean bill of health, I want to give back to the community in anyway that I can. By helping support organisations like Dry July and Choices. By advocating for people affected by cancer, especially in 2020 when many of our events and fundraisers are cancelled.

Life did indeed, throw me a curve ball, but choices helped me knock it right out of the park!

Read Carly’s full story here: www.dryjuly.com/2020/carlys-story