I travelled overseas for a holiday, but although I did not mention to anyone, nagging fears began to plague me; fears about the cancer coming back. Those fears caused me to decide whilst I was in Europe that I would undergo a course of treatment at a German Cancer clinic where I had a few treatments including whole body hyperthermia to help prevent a recurrence. I took supplements prescribed by a naturopath and German doctor and thought little about breast cancer when I returned to Australia.

I thought I had done all the right things however there was one word that had not been explained to me or I that had not heard or understood. The word lympho-vascular invasion. When added to TBNC, this turned out to be the reason why follow up chemotherapy and radiotherapy was recommended after my lumpectomy.

2016 Recurrence! My heart sank. This time not only one lump but several were found and according to pathology reports, they were all related to the previous lump.

I was devastated because not only had my cancer recurred with a vengeance, but my life ethic of curing cancer naturally was shattered. I was ushered into the world of conventional cancer medicine at speed with hardly time to think. Well still I was told that triple negative breast cancers often don’t do well with chemotherapy and if they do, it may only be for a short time before another recurrence. Fear and anxiety began to dominate my life.

A friend suggested I consult with the Grace Gawler Institute. I had a video call with Grace Gawler was surprised when she told me that debulking the cancer with surgery and mopping up stray cancers with chemotherapy was the best way. She told me that because my cancer had spread in my breast and lymph glands but was nowhere else to be seen on scan; that this was the best course of action.  This was not what I was expecting – not what I had read on the internet about curing cancer. I don’t know much about cancer, but I was trying to fight it. It seems a crazy thought now; thinking you can fight something when you don’t even know what it is. I had adult kids and I wanted to see my grandchildren grow up and I thought constantly about all that stuff you think you will miss when diagnosed with cancer again.

Grace assured me that conventional treatment would not be easy and still there were no guarantees, but she would help me to give it my best shot. Before surgery she mentioned there was a Cancer immunologist in Japan who was helping many of her patients with a special kind of immune therapy made from their own cells. I liked this idea and I asked her if she could help me to organise a trip to Japan after my treatment had finished. She said that I could do even better and sent a request to my surgeon to have some of the infected lymph nodes removed and sent to Japan for a personalised cancer vaccine. I’m not sure of all the behind the scenes arrangements but somehow Grace made it happen. From that day on there were a lot of video calls and emails as she guided me through the process.

My surgeon gave some dire warnings about my long-term survival so I felt that the Japan option might offer me some extra protection. I have followed up with scans and blood tests and it’s a good feeling when your surgeon says she doesn’t want to see you for another year and then another year and then another.

That’s all in the past now, I have been to Japan four times for my cancer vaccine treatment. I am still in remission seven years later, 2023. I’m grateful for being alive and well and to all my doctors but especially to Grace for the role she played in my recovery. I hope that my story can encourage others and that they can lean from it.   Update October 2023 – Now 57, Alexa has remained in full remission, enjoying life and her grandchildren.