I Got Breast Cancer for Christmas

Breast cancer now affects one in seven Australian women, and a diagnosis changes everything overnight. I never imagined one of those women would be one of my closest friends. Colette and I met when we were 18, working on our very first magazine together. She went on to become a respected publicist and magazine stylist. We’ve grown up side by side ever since. Careers, love, life, motherhood. So when she called to tell me she had breast cancer, the shock was immediate. And then, almost just as quickly, came something else. “I want to share this. If it helps even one woman.” For someone who has built a career behind the scenes, choosing to tell this story publicly is no small thing. What followed was not just her diagnosis, but the quiet, relentless work of figuring out how to navigate it. The things no one really prepares you for. Suddenly, you’re deep in Google searching cancer beauty tips, mastectomy recovery advice and what to actually pack in a hospital bag. It becomes a full-time job. And yet, so few women talk about what genuinely helps. The beauty rituals that make you feel like yourself again. The skincare that holds up during chemotherapy. The eyebrow treatments that frame your face when everything else feels unfamiliar. The hospital bag essentials that bring comfort when nothing else does. In this heartfelt piece, Colette shares her honest account of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 43, the products and treatments that carried her through, and the raw truths no one tells you. It’s the first in a series she’s bravely chosen to share.

Breast cancer can impact every part of life, including identity and self-image. This story shares one woman’s experience navigating diagnosis, treatment and the small rituals that helped her feel like herself again.
Sigourney x

A Diagnosis That Changes Everything

Breast cancer beauty tips are not something you expect to search for.

My name is Colette. I’m 43 years old. I grew up and worked in Sydney’s East, spending more than two decades in media and fashion before moving to the Central Coast with my husband Joe, our little boy River, and three dogs.

And well… I have always had great hair. No – I have always had fabulous hair. So fabulous that hairdressers used to fight over giving me blow-dries. Since my twenties, my hair quickly became my thing. Thanks to a string of incredible hairdressers – hello Reece and Kate from team Joh Bailey – I would leave the salon with a spring in my step and curls halfway down my back.

What do they say? The bigger the hair, the smaller the problems.

The Moment You Know

A few weeks into November 2025, I was on my exercise bike at home when I felt a pain in my chest – my right breast to be exact.

In that moment, I had a sinking feeling deep in my stomach. Back in July, we had gone to Bali for what was meant to be a month of utter bliss before I contracted Dengue fever and spent the entire holiday incredibly sick. So sick that I remember saying to my husband, “If I die, please make sure River remembers me… and no, you aren’t allowed to marry again.” True story.

I had high fevers, hallucinations, every bone felt broken, and to top it off I was covered in a painful red rash. Just before I came down with the fever, sitting at dinner, I remember telling Joe I had felt a lump and made a mental note to get it checked when we got home.

After three weeks of hospital visits, that thought disappeared completely. How could I have been so stupid?

I made an appointment at my local breast screening clinic and was told it would take three weeks to get results – even if they were bad. Luckily, an incredible friend got me in for an ultrasound the very next day. A few minutes into the scan, a doctor was called into the room, then I was sent for a second mammogram. Because I had also been seeing my GP for headaches and dizzy spells, they ordered a CT and MRI scans, followed by a biopsy.

Looking back, this was the beginning of what would quietly become my own version of breast cancer beauty tips – less about vanity, more about coping.

The Diagnosis

Joe came with me to the appointment where we would get the results. The doctor spent the first fifteen minutes talking about their career and the services they offered. Joe and I must have been staring with blank, pale faces because they suddenly asked: “Have you received your results yet?”

“No,” I said. To which they replied, ice cold: “Oh yes… you have cancer.”

Choosing Your Path

Getting cancer for Christmas was not on my bingo card for finishing the year. Having owned my own business for years and working in fashion, I think I learned to deal with stress well. Some would say I even thrive on it. No one prepares you for how instinctively you begin searching for answers – including breast cancer beauty tips that sit somewhere beyond medicine.

The first doctor wanted to book me in for a double mastectomy – in three days – followed by six months of chemo, radiation, and then we would discuss reconstruction.

But when we left that appointment, something didn’t feel right. I didn’t want a second opinion on whether I had cancer. I wanted a second opinion on how I was going to tackle it.

Once again, we leaned on the power of friends and were introduced to my now doctor at Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick. The difference in approach was incomparable. They explained everything – the type of cancer I had (hormone positive), the growth rate, the size, the options.

The bedside manner felt more like talking to a close friend who genuinely cared whether I lived or not. Their positivity made me believe that I will.

Breast Cancer Beauty Tips For Hair Loss And Coping

The first plan was to start chemo immediately – the week of Christmas. So many WTAF moments ran through my head. But honestly, all I could think about was my family and my HAIR.

I was going to lose my hair – the thing that had been such a big part of me. It sounds ridiculous writing this, but it’s true. My hair was my superpower. It made me feel sexy, confident, and it had carried me through many shitty days. A good blow-dry can change everything. Let’s be honest – the chances of your husband getting lucky after a visit to the salon are about the same as betting on the favourite horse.

So, I ripped the Band-Aid off. I’m very pragmatic like that. I went straight to my local hairdresser and asked her to cut it above my shoulders. It was the first step in what I knew would be many. Friends and family told me it looked great. I told them to keep gaslighting me until this nightmare is over. This became one of the most personal parts of navigating breast cancer beauty tips.

Breast Cancer Beauty Tips During Surgery And Reconstruction

After meeting my oncologist, they decided they didn’t want to over-treat or under-treat me, so the plan changed again. I would go into surgery first. I chose a double mastectomy after genetic testing showed a higher risk of recurrence. My goal is simple. I want this to be a season in my life, not something that follows me forever.

Pro tip: don't get cancer over Christmas

One thing I learned quickly is that cancer treatment is never straightforward. Every person’s path is completely different. You can’t predict it. It’s something you can’t control. You simply take it day by day, week by week.

Unfortunately, I then faced another decision: do I find another doctor or wait for surgery with the doctor and team I loved… until after the Christmas holidays?

Pro tip: don’t get cancer over Christmas. It complicates things in more ways than one. In the end, my surgery with the A team was February 3rd – a double mastectomy and reconstruction.

The List: Breast Cancer Beauty Tips That Helped Me Feel Human

Which left me with a lot of time to think. A lot. What could I do to make myself feel as normal or as “Colette” as possible during this process?

Could I still feel beautiful?

All I kept thinking about was my family and… my hair. Believe it or not, I was never really a boob girl. Mine were a perfectly respectable perky 12C.

So I made “The List.” These became my version of practical breast cancer beauty tips – the small things that made a difference day to day. Things that might help me feel human.

Breast Cancer Beauty Tips That Helped Me Feel Like Myself

Eyebrows

In preparation for chemotherapy, I did a great deal of research. I’m fortunate to have a few beauty editor friends, and almost unanimously they recommended Amy Jean. I booked in for Mist Brows, a treatment completed over two sessions. They say eyebrows frame the face.

While waiting for my appointment, a lovely woman sat beside me in reception with a scarf gently wrapped around her head. In that moment, I learned that a large portion of Amy’s clients are young women navigating cancer treatment – and that the number continues to grow each year.

The procedure itself was completely painless, which genuinely surprised me. Everything about Amy and her team felt calm, thoughtful, and incredibly gentle – from the atmosphere to the care they show their clients.

When this chapter is behind me, I’m hoping to return later in the year for the lip tattoo as a small gift to myself.

Skin + Hair

I have been researching skin and haircare products to test post-surgery and during treatment, but started on the RATIONALE “Blue Series” #4 Integrity Collection, which specialises in sensitive skin and is designed to strengthen the skin barrier, reduce redness, and provide deep hydration – advised by my skin whisper queen Vita.

Watch this space.

What actually helped day to day

Hospital Bag – what gave me comfort

Then there was the hospital bag. If I was going to spend a week in hospital, I wanted every creature comfort possible.

What I think about daily

My surgery was early in the morning, so my husband booked a bougie hotel. I highly recommend booking into a beautiful hotel the night before life-changing surgery. We ate dinner together, talked, and pretended for those few hours that life was bliss.

For my mastectomy, I chose implants. Something I learned very quickly is that this is not like ordering a new pair of shoes. I wasn’t going to walk out with Dina Broadhurst–perfect implants. I didn’t get to choose the size, the shape, or even know what they would look like beforehand.

Also, please don’t ever say to someone with breast cancer: “Hey, at least you get a new set of boobs.” We really don’t want to hear that.

Before surgery I had an 8cm tumour, which left only a few mm border of skin. My incredible doctor managed to save both nipples, which I hear is rare. That was my first win. And I am eternally grateful.

Had that not been the case, I probably would have had to use up some of my free counselling sessions. I’m saving mine for chemo.

What helped me mentally

I have honestly surprised myself with how tough I’ve been.

Someone once told me you need to be strong for your kids. But really you need to be strong for everyone – your husband, your family, your children, and most importantly, yourself.

A few things I think about daily… Breast cancer now affects 1 in 7 women. I’m not special. In many ways, this feels like being just a number. I’m not the first, and sadly I won’t be the last.

Protecting my headspace

I also don’t take calls from people wanting to tell me their cancer journeys. Not because I don’t love them – but because I need to protect my headspace. If they lost their nipples… maybe I will. And if they lost all their hair… maybe I will.

And every day I’m learning how to cope with whatever comes next.

Looking back, these breast cancer beauty tips were never really about beauty – they were about holding on to a sense of myself, one day at a time.

For information on breast screening and resources, please visit BCNA