Two years ago adventurer Emma Scattergood discovered that a journey doesn’t always involve travel. In 2022, Emma was told she had stage 3 invasive lobular breast cancer.
Unclear of what this actually meant, Emma turned her energy towards understanding and fighting this increasingly diagnosed disease and, over time, realised this was another of her journeys that needed to be shared.
My Breast Cancer Adventure describes, from Emma’s point of view, an 18-month roller-coaster through diagnosis, double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation treatment and hormone therapy.
This book is a personal journey encompassing conventional and integrative treatment methods, infection, supplements, diet, exercise and more.
The book aims to shine awareness on how breast cancer can be detected and what can happen once it has.
As well as Emma’s story, the book includes stories from eleven other fighters, each with their own unique journey and story of survival.
The patients perspective
Emma says the book highlights the medical view from the patients perspective. ‘I am a person who needs answers. From the moment I received my diagnosis, I went searching for ways I could fight this disease, and for ways I could support my body.
‘While I found many self-help books – there were none that just told me what I was in for, for example, during chemo and radiation, and what to expect and what I could do to help myself.
‘It was during my treatment I decided I needed to write one myself.
A book not only for women
Emma hope this book will be helpful not only for women – the newly diagnosed and those in recovery, but for thier families and friends. ‘It’s also for men. They are really important as they provide the at-home support. I have a friend at the moment going through chemo and unfortunately, her husband is just not there for her.
‘The newly diagnosed are able to learn exactly whats ahead, and for those who don’t have cancer – it’s incredibly informative.
‘I have had so many people come up to me and say they had no idea that there were different types of cancer and they had no idea just what I had gone through.
‘Most said they felt like they just wanted to hug me.’
The other women
The other 11 women come from women from Clunes to Coomera and most were found through a Women’s Cancer Support Group on the Gold Coast.
Emma hopes that people will learn that there are many types of breast cancer and to support those going through treatment. ‘So many people just find it too difficult to even mention or bring the subject up. That always baffles me.
‘Cancer was the biggest thing in my life at one stage yet friends just couldn’t talk about it and even mention it. We need to remove this stigma.’
‘This book provides so much information on what to expect when diagnosed, what to do, and where to turn to. The hope is that cancer patients will find it useful and non-cancer patients will find it enlightening.’
For more information, visit Emma’s website.
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