"We should be on cloud nine," Tayla Whittle said following her diagnosis, which she called "the biggest shock"
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Newlyweds Tayla and Trav Whittle, from South Australia, had to cancel their honeymoon to the Maldives after she was diagnosed with breast cancer less than two weeks after they got married in January of this year
- Tayla said, “This should be the best time ever for us. We should be on cloud nine and our cloud was burst,” per local newspaper The Advertiser
- The elementary school teacher had found a lump a few days before the wedding, but brushed it off before seeing a doctor a week later. She then received the diagnosis within a week of her appointment
A newlywed had to cancel her honeymoon after receiving a devastating diagnosis just weeks after her wedding.
Tayla Whittle and her husband Trav, who tied the knot on Jan. 17 of this year, had booked a trip to the Maldives to celebrate their marriage, per South Australian newspaper, The Advertiser.
However, less than two weeks after the ceremony, 33-year-old Tayla was diagnosed with early HER2-positive breast cancer.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “HER2-positive (HER2+) is a fast-growing cancer that can quickly spread from your breast to other areas of your body."
"Healthcare providers can treat and often cure this cancer if it’s caught early on,” the site states.
Credit: Getty
Tayla, who lives in the Adelaide suburb of West Beach in South Australia, has been undergoing chemotherapy following her diagnosis, and the newlyweds have had to put their honeymoon on hold for now, The Advertiser reported.
“This should be the best time ever for us,” she told the paper. “We should be on cloud nine and our cloud was burst.”
“We’ve [canceled] slash postponed it,” Tayla added of her honeymoon, per the outlet.
Tayla had felt a lump in her armpit a few days before her wedding in January, but knew she had her annual general practitioner’s appointment scheduled for a week after the ceremony, so she decided to bring it up with her doctor then, the paper stated.
“A lot of people say it’s like a pea-size lump, but mine really wasn’t; it was more swollen,” the elementary school teacher said, according to the outlet.
Credit: Getty
After seeing the lump, Tayla’s doctor immediately scheduled a mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy.
“I remember there was one lady who started off doing the scans and by the end there was about four different doctors in there with me,” she told the paper. “I knew it was something bad, I knew straight away.”
Tayla received her diagnosis within a week of the initial doctor’s appointment, The Advertiser reported.
“It was the worst timing, a week married, it was honestly the biggest shock, honestly, I think I didn’t speak,” she told the paper. “I was just crying.”
Following the diagnosis, Tayla and Trav made the decision to create embryos as cancer treatment "can significantly affect fertility by damaging eggs, causing early menopause, or reducing ovarian function, " per Cleveland Clinic.
“They sprung me into IVF … they ask you before (if) you want the number of eggs written on your hand … I woke up and I had 29 eggs written,” she told the outlet.
The couple ended up with 11 embryos before Tayla started chemotherapy. “I’ve never experienced sick like that ever in my life, it was awful,” she shared of the treatment, per The Advertiser.
Tayla will continue having chemotherapy, and will likely have radiotherapy and surgery at a later stage, the paper stated.
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Kenilworth Football Club (FC) — Trav’s team, based in St Marys, South Australia, which plays Australian Rules Football — is hosting a special event on Saturday, April 18, to raise money for breast cancer research following Tayla’s diagnosis.
“We’re coming together to support our much-loved Tayla and Trav Whittle, who are facing a challenging time following Tayla’s recent breast cancer diagnosis,” the club wrote in a Facebook post.
The fundraiser will raise money for the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), hosting a PLAY4BCNA Pink Sports Day event.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Kenilworth FC said, “The Kenilworth Football Club prides itself on helping and supporting our members and community.”
“When we heard of Tayla’s diagnosis, it was a no-brainer for us to rally together and help. This Ladies Day will be a sea of pink, with a lot of laughs and fun. We will continue to be a pillar of strength for Tayla and Trav to lean on as they navigate this difficult time,” the statement continued.
The Breast Cancer Network Australia didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. PEOPLE has also reached out to Tayla Whittle.
Read the full article here
