Coraline discovered the disease after a social media-inspired self-check. Photo / Emily Chalk
For Auckland mum of four Coraline Rewcastle, life was its usual whirl of kids, clients and family chaos – until she came across a young French woman on TikTok sharing how she would examine her breast for lumps. On impulse, Coraline did a quick self-check.
She recalls, “When feeling my left breast, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s a bit of something, right?’ I got my husband to inspect it, but although he could feel it, he said it was probably hormonal. A few weeks later, when it was still there, I knew I had to get it looked at. I just knew something wasn’t right.”
That check led to a diagnosis that Coraline could never have imagined at age 34 – invasive ductal carcinoma, one of the most common types of breast cancer. When it was identified, her tumour was already 2.5cm and a few lymph nodes were affected.
She admits, “I cried every day at first and my initial thought was, ‘I’m going to die.’ You never expect to hear this at my age with four kids. Even though my husband kept telling me I’d be Okay, it’s hard not to think the worst.”
Doctors believe the lump may have been there for a year or two. Looking back, Coraline says there were signs – from the small nipple discharge she assumed was left over from breastfeeding to the unusual fatigue that she’d been to see the GP about numerous times. However, she dismissed these symptoms as the result of life as a busy mum and the owner of a popular hair salon.
French-born Coraline travelled to New Zealand six years ago on a holiday to visit her brother. She never expected to meet her future husband Steve, now 46.
She shares, “I went for a drink with one of my brother’s friends and she asked, ‘What’s your type of guy?’ I pointed and said, ‘That one!’ And here we are.”
After falling in love, she decided to make Aotearoa her permanent home and the couple settled in East Auckland. Their blended family is made up of Heather, 14, Lola, 12, Madeline, 11, and Chloë, 4.
Having run a salon in France, Coraline’s dream was to open a local premise. Two years ago, she and Steve launched Senso Hair Studio, quickly building up a supportive clientele.
“It worked very well until the diagnosis,” she says. “Then we lost everything.”
Unable to return to work since she got the news, the couple had to sell the salon.
Last October, Coraline underwent a mastectomy on her left breast. As her cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, the treatment plan became more intensive.
Coraline is facing five months of chemo, followed by a month of radiotherapy, with years of hormone therapy to reduce recurrence risk.
“It’s a strong treatment, especially the first rounds of chemo – they call it the red devil because it takes all your happiness out in one shot,” she explains.
“But after a week, you start to feel human again. That’s how you find the strength to keep going. Looking in the mirror is so hard. I have no hair, one breast, I’ve put on weight from the hormones… I just feel like a different person.”
A psychologist supports her weekly, while small creative projects and watching TV offer slight distraction and comfort.
“I hope one day I can feel like myself again,” she tells. “A normal life – that’s all I want.”
A bright light in Coraline’s journey is the support shown by friends and family. Within a week of her diagnosis, her parents flew in from France. Friends bring meals twice a week, and one of her clients set up a Givealittle page to help ease the mounting costs that keep Coraline and high-school teacher Steve up at night.
“It’s saved us,” she says. “With the salon gone, one salary, a full mortgage and all the other costs, things are very tight. The money situation is stressful, so the kindness has surprised me.”
Her daughters know only what they need to – Mum had surgery, is tired and has lost her hair.
Coraline laughs, “Chloë calls it my ‘boo-boo’. That’s enough. I don’t want to scare them.”
She’s sharing her story for one reason – to help others catch their cancer early.
“Please do a self-exam every month,” she urges. “Three fingers, little circles around the breast and under the arms. It only takes two minutes. I found my cancer early because I checked.”
It’s also her wish that mammograms will one day be offered to younger women.
“In most countries, they start at 50, but cancers in women under 40 are rising and they tend to be more aggressive,” she explains. “Early screening could save lives. Imagine if I’d had a mammogram and picked this up – I would be in a much different place right now.”
To help the family, visit Givealittle.co.nz and search “Coraline”.