- In January 2021 Lindy Loo, 45, had a full health screening
- Sadly, she was diagnosised with stage 2 Breast Cancer
- She decided to have a double mastectomy and posted about her journey on TikTok
- Lindy gained a mass of followers who connected with her candid nature
- Lindy danced her way through her cancer diagnosis and treatment
- Lindy Loo from Brisbane, Queensland, shares her story below….
The doctor frowned, looking at the screen.
“There’s some scarring here,” she said, “but it could be from your breast implants.”
It was January 2021, and I’d decided to do a full health screening, aged 45.
A mammogram was part of that.
“Let’s do a biopsy just to be on the safe side,” the doctor said.
As I left the clinic, I uploaded a video to TikTok.
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“Just been for a mammogram, and they’re doing a biopsy as a precaution,” I said to my followers in the video.
I didn’t have a lot of followers, but I worked as a nurse and felt it was important to spread the word for women to get their boobs checked.
The following week, I went back to get my biopsy results.
My husband at the time, Shane, was at work, and it was during COVID so I went by myself.
When two doctors ushered me into a room, I felt uneasy.
“Unfortunately, the biopsy has shown it is breast cancer,” one of the doctors said, leaving me dumbstruck.
In my car, I whipped my phone out and recorded a TikTok video about my cancer diagnosis.
“My results weren’t good, guys,” I said, bursting into tears. “I have Stage 2 breast cancer.”
Back home, I broke it to Shane and our kids, Sarah-Jade, 27, Sam, 16, Tom, 13, and Joe, 12.
“It’s treatable,” I reassured them so they didn’t worry.
I’d been offered a lumpectomy, but I opted to have a double mastectomy, deciding it wasn’t worth the risk.
When I woke up after the surgery, I posted about it on TikTok.
At this point, I still had a tiny following but a lot of people who had been through the same thing made reassuring comments.
You’ve got this, said one.
As TikTok dances were popular, I started attempting them, too.
I’m a middle-aged cancer patient but thought I’d give this dance a go, I wrote in the caption of one video with the hashtag #breastcancer.
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People liked them and they helped keep me positive.
Once my chemotherapy started, I turned my appointments into social outings and invited a different friend each time.
One time, I brought my daughter, Sarah.
“Here, film me doing this TikTok dance,” I said, with the tube still attached to my arm.
“Oh, Mum,” she giggled.
I filmed my hair falling out in the shower and my kids shaving it off.
One day, my colleague Kate came with me to treatment.
I bought fake tattoo eyebrows and, for a laugh, tattooed some above my lip as a moustache and hid them under my COVID mask.
When I attempted to video myself in hospital, I took the mask down, revealing the fake eyebrows above my lip, which I’d forgotten about.
Kate and I roared with laughter.
Afterwards, she told our other colleagues how much fun she’d had taking me for chemo.
The nurses also loved it when I was there.
“You liven up the ward,” one of the oncology nurses told me.
Even the other cancer patients were excited to see me.
“I like Fridays when you come in,” one told me.
It felt good to be brightening up their day.
Documenting what I was going through and my cancer diagnosis on social media enabled me to speak with others who were going through the same thing.
It created a support network, which I found deeply comforting.
We could ask each other questions about the side effects of our treatment and have a fat old moan about it.
After 16 rounds of chemo, followed by radiation, I was declared in the clear and was thrilled to go back to work in January 2022.
Trying on my nurse’s uniform for the first time was a poignant moment, so of course I posted a video.
“The last time I put this on I had long red hair and double-D t*ts,” I said.
Now, I was flat-chested and bald.
The confronting truth made me cry, but my followers immediately responded with lovely comments that cheered me up.
If you could see yourself through our eyes you would see how beautiful you are, one wrote.
You’re a strong, amazing woman, another said.
That video reached over 2.1 million views!
I was gobsmacked, but glad I was helping to raise awareness.
I’m about to have breast reconstruction surgery, which, of course, I’ll be documenting on social media.
I overheard my son, Joe, 15, boasting about me to one of his friends the other day.
“My mum is a TikTok star,” he said proudly.
With 44,000 followers, I wouldn’t go that far, but I hope my posts have helped others.
Remember, check your breasts. Follow Lindy on TikTok, @lindyloo03
