A woman who has been raising funds for breast cancer research since her teenage years has now been diagnosed with the disease herself. Emily Harrison-Suhr, 31, from Melbourne, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer five years ago after discovering a lump in her breast. Initially, she dismissed concerns due to her young age and delayed seeking treatment for months, believing the lump would disappear. However, it did not.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Ms Harrison-Suhr was later diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and underwent nine months of intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, egg retrieval surgery, and an operation to remove the tumour. 'The second round was one of the worst things I've ever experienced,' she told the Daily Mail. 'It was awful. I had really bad nausea and bone pain and just this almost debilitating level of tiredness.'
Genetic Discovery
After a series of genetic tests, doctors found Ms Harrison-Suhr had the BRCA1 mutation, a gene fault that increases lifetime breast cancer risk by up to 72 per cent and ovarian cancer by up to 46 per cent. It was discovered that she inherited the gene from her father, and all three of her siblings also carry the mutation.
Recurrence and Acceptance
Despite knowing her increased risk of cancer recurrence, Ms Harrison-Suhr admitted she felt relieved. 'I was going to be on five to 10 years of hormone suppressants and have regular scans, so I felt like I was out of the thick of it,' she said. However, six months after completing an immunotherapy trial, she found another lump in her rib, and tests revealed the cancer had metastasised. 'I just got really angry. I thought I'd done everything they threw at me and it's come back, so what have I done wrong? There's no rhyme or reason to it,' she said. 'I've gotten over the anger now... it's treatable, but incurable.'
Full-Circle Fundraising
While balancing her work in construction management administration and her Master's degree, Ms Harrison-Suhr is also championing the Bakers Delight 'Pink Bun' campaign. She had spent eight years selling thousands of the pink-sprinkled buns while working as a teen at her local Bakers Delight store. Being asked to front the national campaign to raise funds for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) was a bittersweet moment. 'It's a weird one. It's obviously not something you want to be eligible for,' she said. 'It just feels very full-circle and I feel honoured to be involved considering I watched the campaign for so many years.'
Ms Harrison-Suhr hopes her story will resonate with others. 'To now be the person that the girls see when they're setting up the posters in the shop - and it's me, and I'm only 31 - I hope it will resonate with people to see someone [with cancer] at that age. It can happen to anyone.'
More than 20,000 people a year are diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia, an average of 55 people a day, and more than 1,000 of those were under 40 in 2025. From May 14 to 27, people can buy a six-pack of Bakers Delight Pink Fun Buns to support BCNA.
