The Itch That Changed Everything
A Sydney businesswoman has revealed how a fleeting, random itch on a Friday night ultimately saved her life by leading to a devastating breast cancer diagnosis at just 38 years old. Claire Yellowlees, the founder of the clean-fragrance brand [noun] Collection, was working late on her laptop on August 30 last year when she experienced what she now calls her 'lucky itch'.
'I literally had an itch - just a one-off itch,' she recalled. 'It wasn't a symptom of anything.' After scratching it briefly, she returned to her work but felt something unusual. Knowing her own body well, she investigated further and discovered a lump about a centimetre below where she had initially itched.
'It didn't hurt when I pushed it. But my stomach knotted up instantly,' Claire said. After checking both breasts in the mirror and finding no matching lump, she immediately knew something was wrong.
A Devastating Diagnosis and Whirlwind Treatment
After contacting her mother, Claire visited her GP the following week and was referred for an ultrasound. Rather than receiving reassurance, she witnessed the doctor's body language change dramatically during her appointment. 'He said, "I don't really know how to say this, but it's not good news… it's 98 per cent cancer". I felt like I stopped breathing,' she remembered.
The news became even more shocking when doctors revealed her tumour was actually grade 3 - much more aggressive than initially thought. 'They said I was too young not to risk chemo,' Claire explained. Because chemotherapy can cause infertility and she hadn't yet had children, doctors insisted she begin IVF treatment immediately.
'There was almost no room to breathe. I started IVF that same day,' she said. The following weeks became a blur of hormone injections, scans, egg retrievals and surgeries, with her IVF and cancer treatments nearly overlapping at one point.
After IVF, Claire was placed on Zoladex, a drug that shuts down the ovaries to protect fertility during chemo, throwing her into immediate menopause with hot flushes, brain fog and mood swings. The chemotherapy itself brought neuropathy, severe joint pain, rashes, nausea, peeling skin and crushing exhaustion.
Recovery and a Renewed Mission
Throughout her treatment, Claire continued running her young business, even doing pop-up events at Westfield where she'd administer her injections in baby-change rooms before serving customers. The emotional toll proved overwhelming at times. 'There was a moment where I thought, maybe I've had a good life. Maybe that's that. I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel,' she admitted.
After finishing radiation in April this year, travel and reconnecting with friends in New York, London, and Ibiza helped her 'find [herself] again' from a mental health perspective. Now back running her fragrance brand, which was founded on principles of avoiding toxic ingredients, Claire is using her platform to urge younger women to check themselves regularly.
'I don't want people to be scared, but women under 40 can get breast cancer. Early detection is absolutely the key to survival,' she emphasised. Claire is relaunching her [noun] Collection with a refreshed identity and a crucial message for women across Australia through her 'Breast Friday' campaign.
'This campaign is about awareness and self-care,' Claire said. 'Yes, it's a sale - but more importantly, it's a reminder. Those two minutes could save your life, not just money.' The Breast Friday event will run across the [noun] Collection online store from 26 November to 1 December, offering 30 per cent off and pledging one per cent of profits to the McGrath Foundation.
Reflecting on her extraordinary journey, Claire still marvels at how close she came to missing the cancer entirely. 'If it wasn't for that lucky itch, I don't know when I would have found mine.'
