IMAGINE being diagnosed with breast cancer in your twenties. Imagine the reaction of your husband and your family and your friends. Imagine losing all your beautiful long blonde hair.

Now imagine you’re an elite sportswoman at peak fitness, representing your country around the world.

Wouldn’t it make you wonder “Why me?”

Erin Kennedy can clearly remember that meeting with the oncologist when she and husband Sam received the devastating news.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be a good meeting when we walked into the room because as well as the oncologist, a breast care nurse was sitting there.

“I thought, ‘Uh oh, you’re here for emotional support’. All in all, the meeting was not a fun experience.

“We felt out of our depth, desperately trying to process the news while attempting to understand what he was saying to us as he used language and terminology that was alien to us.

“After a number of additional scans we called our parents. I called my coaches and my team doctor and then we headed home. The next day my husband dropped me off at the airport and I flew out to Serbia.” What? Taking a trip at a time like this? In fact, Erin was off to compete in her first world cup as coxswain of her Team GB Paralympic rowing crew.

Erin, who lives in Station Road, Henley, explains: “They had asked me whether I would still want to compete if it was bad news and without hesitation I said yes.

“What else was I going to do? Sit at home and feel sorry for myself and wish I was competing? Absolutely not. 

“If it was bad news I would be even more determined to race, knowing that everything was about to change and that this could be my last race for a long time.

“It was exactly what I needed. I was able to put the events of the last 24 hours into a box and focus on something else I am good at and that I love.

“I had told my crew mates about the diagnosis over WhatsApp the evening I found out. I asked them not to make a fuss over me, no hugs or big displays of emotion. I was keen that we focused on the competition and enjoy every minute.

“Throughout my career, I had won every international rowing medal other than a world cup and I was determined that I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to complete the 

set.” And so it was that four days after her cancer diagnosis 

Erin won her first ever world cup. The crew raced their hearts out and crossed the line first, less than a second short of a 

world record. 

She says: “Nobody would’ve known what we were dealing with and indeed only about 15 members of a 70-strong GB team in Serbia knew about my diagnosis.

“But I knew I didn’t want to keep my diagnosis a secret. I was 29 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had only found the lump because I was vigilant about checking myself. If I hadn’t, my prognosis would have been very different. “I had triple negative breast cancer, which essentially means that the cancer cells do not have certain hormone or protein receptors and it can be more challenging to treat. Early detection looks like it has saved my life.”

So, in consultation with her doctors and while juggling hospital appointments, Erin continued to train throughout last year and it was agreed that the European championships last August would be the target and the culmination of her season before concentrating on her treatment.

Now she says that, looking back, her path to recovery feels like it happened to somebody else. 

She underwent an intensive two-week whirlwind of fertility preservation injections and surgery, starting her cancer treatment the day after her eggs were retrieved. 

She then had 15 rounds of chemotherapy in just 150 days and in January this year had a double mastectomy and implant reconstruction.

“My body changed significantly during chemo and the surgery has completely and permanently altered my chest,” she says.

“I look very different — half a stone lighter, no hair and a puffy face from the steroids but, in truth, I don’t really feel very different.

“Ultimately what hasn’t changed from those early days to today is the way I am tackling my diagnosis mentally with calm, methodical resilience and a determination to find joy in each and every day.

“I haven’t been able to control a lot of things over the past year but I have been able to control the mood I’m in when I get out of bed every morning and I think that is what saves me.

“Often people don’t get suspicious lumps checked because they are scared of doctors telling them they have cancer. 

“Well, it happened to me so perhaps sharing my story might make it a little less scary and make people go to the GP.”