Bathurst local Fe Sampan speaks about her stage three breast cancer diagnosis

A cancer diagnosis is not something you ever expect, much less think would happen to you, but for Fe Sampan, it did.

It all began with a lump on her right breast that caught her attention in March this year.

"At first I ignored it because I thought it would go away," the 45-year-old Bathurst local said.

Five months after she noticed the lump getting progressively larger, Ms Sampan went to her GP who made a request for an ultrasound and mammography, which came back positive for stage three breast cancer.

"I was thinking it might've been a mistake because I didn't feel any pain at all, it was just a lump, I'm healthy," Ms Sampan said.

Ms Sampan - who moved to Australia in 2019 from the Philippines with her partner, Jesse Gaquit, and their six-year-old son, Kral - was then referred to a surgeon for a biopsy, which later confirmed her breast cancer.

After two weeks grappling with her diagnosis, Ms Sampan made the decision to get up out of bed and fight the cancer.

"At first when I found out it was cancer, it was like a death sentence. I thought of my six-year-old son, who depends on me. What will happen to him? How will he grow up without me?," Ms Sampan questioned.

"It was so depressing. I think the first week, I just didn't want to go out and we didn't really talk about it.

"After that, I came to my senses and thought 'hey, no one will fight for me except for myself'. In a positive way, what will happen will happen, I have to trust the process and the doctors."

Ms Sampan and Mr Gaquit have known each other since they were children growing up in the Philippines, so for Mr Gaquit to watch his partner and friend go through cancer is a challenge.

"I'm sad, it's hard for me to see Fe go through this," he said.

But through the darkest of days, the couple have felt the warmth of those around them, most notably from their colleagues and the residents at Bathurst Riverview Care Community.

Fellow Bathurst Riverview employee, Tiffany Arrow made a Go Fund Me page for the couple due to the estimated cost for Ms Sampan's treatment around $50,000.

At the time of publication, the Go Fund Me page has raised over $13,000.

Ms Sampan is a Student Visa Holder which means she is not entitled to any Government subsidies.

"The team at Bathurst Riverview are like a big family and have been rocked by the news that members of our family are suffering. Fe and her partner Jesse are valued members of our team," Ms Arrow wrote on the fundraising page.

Both Ms Sampan and Mr Gaquit described Ms Arrow as "an angel", and spoke highly of the medical staff at the Daffodil Cottage, who make Ms Sampan "feel like she's being taken care of".

"One of the nurses there, her name is Rebecca from the McGrath Foundation. She's lovely and all of the people at the Daffodil Cottage are very helpful," Mr Gaquit said.

"The way the doctors talk to me and tell me about my treatments and seeing my doctor feel very confident that I will be cured of cancer ... I trust him," Ms Sampan added.

"Thank you to everyone who has been helping us, we really appreciate it. We feel the love."

Ms Sampan received her first round of chemotherapy on October 26, which will continue until surgery to remove the cancer can take place at a later date.

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