Emily’s story: From cancer survivor to entrepreneur and mother

Emily was 26 years old and had just landed her first job in creative advertising when she received the news. She had Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

“I was living a normal life. Super fun, carefree and social,” says Emily. “I worked long hours, but was able to travel, go to music festivals, lots of brunches and lunches.”

Emily says that she discovered a lump underneath her collarbone a week before her 27^th birthday, but thought that it was just a result of being run down and tired.

Emily’s dad, a GP, inspected the lump and prompted her to get it checked thoroughly. After completing 2 scans, her doctors asked to see her that day.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” Emily recalls. “I dragged my best mate to the appointment and the doctor explained they were hoping it might be tuberculosis or a weird strain of pneumonia, because if it wasn't those things then we were looking at cancer.”

Still, Emily says she was quick to dismiss her doctor’s concerns. After all, she was young.

She remembers sitting in an oncology room the next day, feeling like none of it was real.

“They had a look at the scans and the doctor said, ‘you fit the bill for Hodgkin’s lymphoma’,” she says. “And I was like, ‘okay sweet, what's that?’ He replied: ‘cancer’.”

“I think that's when it really hit the fan. I was in complete and utter disbelief. Cancer was not in my realm, it just completely shook my world.”

After a couple of days of tears, screams and ranting, Emily was ready to take it on.

During her treatment, Emily focused on her recovery. She would have chemotherapy, spend a week resting, then be back to work the following week. “I just didn’t want cancer to slow me down or make me miss out on anything,” she says.

After 6 months of treatment, Emily was in remission.

“I was able to get back on with life,” she says. “I started kicking goals at work, my hair started growing back, I was hitting the gym every second day (very unlike me). I was doing so well.”

Following a routine scan that same year, Emily’s oncologist delivered more unexpected, difficult news. The cancer was back. And this time it was also in her lungs and neck.

“It was like a kick in the stomach,” she says. “I was completely devastated, disappointed and exhausted thinking about what was to come.”

Emily’s second round of treatment was harder and more intensive than her first. She underwent chemotherapy every week for 10 weeks. This was followed by a stem cell transplant and 5 weeks of radiotherapy.

“My stubborn mentality wasn’t helping this time,” says Emily. “I completely changed my approach, and I stopped working to eliminate all stress.”

“I also changed my diet and started eating a lot of plant-based and pescatarian foods, and tried many complementary therapies as well.”

“This time I just wanted to throw absolutely everything I could at the cancer and support my body so I could get through it in one piece.”

She was also told that the treatment could impact her fertility, and went through the process of freezing her eggs.

Emily admits that the first time she had cancer, she didn’t want anyone to know about it. She wore a wig and continued to work when she could. But this time was different. She embraced her hair loss and found beautiful scarves to wear.

After treatment, Emily went into remission again.

Emily always wanted to start her own business. It was at this point that the idea for Bravery Co came about.

“I started playing around with scarves,” she says. “I watched lots of YouTube tutorials and made Pinterest boards featuring women from the 1940s with their gorgeous turbans, and African women wearing big, bold, brightly coloured scarves.”

However, the idea was put on hold when she went back to work following her treatment.

Two years later, though, Emily was in remission and “the chances of relapsing now were low,” she recalls. She looked at the good news as a sign, and knew that if she didn’t start Bravery Co now, she never would.

During her treatment, Emily had helped other women going through chemotherapy with advice on how to tie and wear head scarves. She knew this was her life’s calling.

In 2016, she quit her job and travelled abroad to work remotely. “I kind of fell back onto the idea of scarves,” she says. “When you find something to wear that makes you feel good, it really makes a world of difference.”

“At first, I thought I’d design them. Turns out I'm a terrible textile designer and very quickly started collaborating with artists, illustrators and other brands and fashion designers.”

Emily began with just 3 different styles and 15 scarves. Within an hour of the website going live, she made her first sale.

Bravery Co was a huge learning curve for Emily. Today, it isn’t only a place to buy scarves, it’s also a platform that arms cancer warriors with content that’s filled with advice and shared stories.

In 2019, while living in London with her partner, Emily found a lump on her neck. It was initially diagnosed as benign, but she had a gut feeling it was something more. 

A biopsy confirmed that she had cancer again. This time, it was synovial sarcoma, a cancer that can come from soft tissue like muscle or ligaments.

A week later, Emily flew back in Melbourne. She underwent 5 weeks of radiotherapy and an epic 11-hour operation to remove the cancer, which was wrapped through the nerves of her neck and spine, followed by several more surgeries to repair damaged nerves.

Thankfully, she was clear of cancer following the procedures.

At this same time, Emily received some unexpected news. 

“It was coming to the end of the last nerve transplant operation, and I just wasn't bouncing back,” she recalls. “I was thinking, ‘why do I feel so nauseous and sick?’ and immediately thought there was something else growing in me, another cancer.”

A couple of weeks later, Emily found out she was pregnant. Which, considering the fertility problems that come with cancer and treatment, “was a miracle,” she says. “An absolute miracle.”

Two years on, Emily is celebrating her child’s second birthday. She says it’s been a rollercoaster few years. “I think I'm ready for some really low-key, boring things now.”

Bravery Co is where you can find Emily’s scarves, and stories from those living with cancer.

Cancer Council offers resources online and over the phone on 13 11 20.