Ebony's story: advocate for your health

by Bonnie Collings

"I'm just a 32-year-old local mum who's got cancer - everyone's got cancer some way or another in their family, so I didn't think it was going to get the the traction that it did," said Warragul resident Ebony Black about the community support for her GoFundMe page.

After months of advocating for her health and eventually being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, Ebony was determined to take her children on the holiday to Queensland they had always dreamed about.

Thanks to generous donations to her GoFundMe page and support from local businesses, the dream trip is becoming more and more possible each day.

"I have no words to be honest, I can't express the gratitude I feel for the support me and my family have received," Ebony said.

Ebony received her cancer diagnosis on April 1, but she had felt something wasn't right since October last year. After breast reduction surgery, Ebony noticed some painful lumps and had difficulty lifting her arm without pain in her breast.
"I thought maybe it's just something to do with the reduction, so I went and saw my plastic surgeon," she said.
"He sort of said oh it's just some fatty deposits, come back and see me next year. I wasn't worried because I flat out asked him, should I be worried, is it cancer? And he said no, it's not."
Fast forward to March this year, the lumps hadn't gone away. Ebony called her surgeon again but couldn't get another appointment until the end of April. Things took a turn for the worst when Ebony was away camping, three hours from home.
"I woke up one morning, screaming in agony. We rushed to the hospital, and it turned out I actually had sepsis," Ebony said.
"I was a couple of hours off dying. If I hadn't have gone to the hospital, I would have died."
At this point, Ebony started asking more questions about her breast lumps.
"They said you've obviously got some sort of skin infection that's now turned to sepsis," Ebony said. "And I said, okay, well, what about these lumps? What are we going to do about these lumps? I was advocating, no one was listening."
Ebony said she was eventually offered a biopsy to see what had caused the infection that turned to sepsis.
"I said, okay, will you test for cancer while you're at it? And (they said), no, it's not cancer," Ebony said. "I said, if you're going to be doing a biopsy, you may as well test for cancer, please. I pushed for that, and I'm glad I did."
It took three weeks for the results to come back.
"During those three weeks, I wasn't thinking it was cancer - they told me it was a skin infection that had turned to sepsis," Ebony said.
So, when the phone call came with the diagnosis, Ebony was stunned.
"I just got a phone call from my plastic surgeon one day out of the blue saying, Eb, your biopsy has come back, and it actually is breast cancer," Ebony said.
For the rest of that day, Ebony was in shock.
"I didn't look like I had cancer. I don't feel like I have cancer," she said.
Ebony was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that affects the lymphatic vessels in the skin. According to Cancer Australia, about two to five of every 100 cases of breast cancer in Australia will be diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer
"It's found in one per cent of women, it's super rare, and it's super rare to have it at my age," Ebony said.
Grappling with the reality, Ebony said what she wanted more than anything was to fill the remaining time with her children with "as much love, joy, and beautiful memories as possible."
"The kids and I have always talked about going to the theme parks in Queensland," Ebony said. "Obviously that was going to be down the track when I could afford it, but I don't have the luxury of time anymore."
While scrolling on Facebook one day, Ebony saw a link to a GoFundMe page and contemplated making her own.
"I had every intention of deleting it that weekend because it wasn't going to take off," she said. "Within a week it had $8000 donated on it."
Ebony also received a donation from the A Girls' Day Out Kristy's Gift initiative.
After seeing the interest and generosity of the community, Ebony looked into how she could create other fundraising opportunities.
She has now organised a children's disco party, to be held on Friday, June 12 at the Warragul Industrials' Football Club Rooms, and a trivia and silent auction night on Saturda,y July 18 at the Drouin Golf and Country Club.
"The community support has been amazing, a lot of people have jumped on board, donating their time and business just to make it happen. It's hard to believe there are good people out there anymore, but things like this really do prove that small communities like ours can come together in a time of need and chip in when someone needs it."
Ebony hoped by sharing her story, she'd encourage other women to check their breasts and advocate for their health.
"You don't really hear women of my age getting breast cancer, so if I can get one woman to go and check their breasts for lumps, I'll feel like I've done my job.
"Don't let them tell you it's not cancer. If you even have one per cent of an inkling, push for a biopsy, push for something to happen," she said.
Tickets to the children's disco party can be purchased online at https://www.trybooking.com/DMDOV
Tickets to the trivia and silent auction night are available at https://www.trybooking.com/DMCPW
You can donate to Ebony's GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-mums-fight-with-stage-4-incurable-cancer