Just six months after giving birth, a 29-year-old primary school teacher from Wales was forced to trade newborn cuddles for cancer treatment, as a potentially fatal diagnosis forced her through some of the “darkest days” of her life.

In July 2020, deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy Elizabeth Isidoro told Cancer Research Wales (CRW) that she started experiencing persistent chest pain. The mother – who at the time was navigating life with her newborn son Ben and her five-year-old daughter, Phoebe – consulted her GP.

Despite discovering a lump in her breast, the doctor – who biopsied the growth – suggested the discomfort was caused by hormonal changes that can happen after giving birth.

But the results revealed something far more serious than hormonal postpartum.

“During COVID, I went to my appointment alone, surrounded by masked faces and social distancing. My husband waited in the car,” Isidoro, a vibrant primary school teacher from Cwmbran, Wales, told CRW. “I felt confident, thinking that they wouldn’t let me come alone if something was wrong. But as I walked to the doctor’s room, a nurse asked – ‘is there anyone with you today?’”

That question marked the moment everything changed.

Diagnosis

After fetching her husband from the car, doctors revealed a devastating diagnosis: Isidoro had triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), which according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), “is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer.”

“TNBC differs from other types of invasive breast cancer in that it tends to grow and spread faster, has fewer treatment options, and tends to have a worse prognosis (outlook),” ACS explains on its official website.

It’s one of the deadliest types of breast cancer, with survival rates far less than other forms of the disease.

“I remember thinking, Phoebe’s going to see me with no hair and she’s going to know I’m not very well,” the woman, now 35, told Wales Online of the moment she was diagnosed.

“That was my worry. It’s going to be strange and she’s going to be scared. I didn’t want her to see me being unwell.”

‘It was terrifying’

Isidoro started chemotherapy in August 2020, and as the weeks went on, treatment became increasingly difficult. She landed in hospital multiple times to receive care for chemo-induced complications, including two bouts of neutropenic sepsis, a serious condition caused by a weakened immune system.

And the entire time, she was without her loved ones.

“Due to the lockdown restrictions all appointments were on my own and surrounded by a sea of masked faces. It was terrifying!” she explained in a CRW fundraiser. “I had six rounds of gruelling chemotherapy (including a little brush with sepsis) and eight rounds of oral chemotherapy all whilst my family waited in hospital car parks unable to go through this together. Months of waving to my children through hospital windows, crying to nurses, hair loss, pain and overwhelming worry whilst my beautiful babies had to see me completely change.”

‘Cancer-free’

After undergoing a mastectomy in February 2021, CRW reports that surgeons found her lymph nodes were clear, meaning radiation therapy wouldn’t be necessary. To further reduce the risk of recurrence, Isidoro proceeded with six additional rounds of chemotherapy, bringing her through an intensive and exhausting treatment journey.

By September, she was well enough to return to work, and since completing treatment, she has remained cancer-free.

‘Cancer will not win’

“In October 2021 I was given the all clear and sent off to navigate a whole new life after cancer. It hasn’t been easy and I have really struggled with anxiety and my mental health,” Isidoro explained on her fundraising page ahead of her participation in the 2024 London Marathon.

Hoping to ease the strain she was feeling, doctors suggested antidepressants. But, looking for a long-term, more sustainable option, Isidoro instead laced up her running shoes and started training for what she described as the “mammoth challenge” of the 2024 marathon.

“I beat cancer so bring it on!” she shared, reminding people “impacted by this disease that cancer will not win.”

‘Will never be the same’

Reflecting on her journey, Isidoro told CRW that she’s “a lot stronger” than she was before her diagnosis.

“On my darkest days I never imagined being here today…I will never be the same Amy that I was before my diagnosis, I’m a hell of a lot stronger and more determined than she ever was.”

And now, the woman is urging others to listen to what their bodies are saying: “If you think something is not right, no matter how small it is, no matter how you try and explain it away, no matter what Google says, just go and get it checked out.”

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