I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer at 38 after one tell-tale symptom. I danced my way through chemo with my dad by my side – and then he had a heart attack

A Queensland mother coped with her grueling chemo treatments through dance parties with her beloved father after receiving a shock diagnosis of breast cancer at the age of 38.

Shanon Nealon, 42, from Brisbane, was diagnosed five months after finding a hard but ‘non-sinister’ lump on her breast and found herself adorably grooving at every session with her dad Joseph, 80, by her side.

Their hilarious videos provided a welcome break from the exhausting treatments, and the duo built a small online fandom inspired by their magnetic optimism.

But just as Shanon was finishing her five-month chemo treatment, Joseph suffered a massive heart attack. He believes he suffered a “broken heart” caused by watching his daughter suffer from cancer.

Two years after her diagnosis, Shanon, an Indigenous nurse, told FEMAIL she is in remission and helping other First Nations people with cancer battle the disease. Fortunately, Joseph recovered from his heart attack after the operation.

Brisbane mother Shanon Nealon (left) battled an aggressive breast cancer with the unwavering support of her father Joseph (right), 80

Shanon discovered a lump in her breast, but because she was a busy working mother and because her doctor wasn’t concerned, it was something more sinister. She didn’t have it examined for five months

One day in late 2020, as she lay in bed, Shanon felt a small, hard, and painless lump on the side of her left breast, near her armpit.

Shanon was cautious and went to her doctor, who did not suspect the tumor was cancer, but referred her for an ultrasound.

“She said, ‘It’s Christmas, you’re going to have trouble getting in anyway, but don’t worry, it’s not urgent, it’s probably nothing too sinister,'” she recalled.

‘As a nurse, I googled what breast cancer lumps felt like, but it didn’t feel like what was described. That’s why I left it for so long.’

Being a busy working mother, and thanks to her doctor’s reassurance, the lump may not be anything suspicious, but it isn’t until five months later that Shanon reports to the specialist to have it examined.

What was meant to be a precautionary scan turned into an eight-hour stay in the clinic, setting off alarm bells in Shanon’s head.

‘After the ultrasound, they performed a mammography that had not been requested during the referral, and had the radiologist do a biopsy. I knew immediately that this was the case cancer,” she said.

Her fears were confirmed when she received the news in June 2021 that she had ER-positive, PR-positive and HER2-positive stage three, also known as triple positive breast cancer.

She discovered in June 2021 that she had triple positive breast cancer, the same disease her mother, Joy (left), had been diagnosed with just two years earlier

It was the same disease her mother, Joy, had been diagnosed with just two years earlier, but her cancer had progressed further.

“I thought it would be similar to what my mother had, she just had a lumpectomy, six weeks of radiation and the hormone blockers, that should be all I need,” she said.

Shanon spent all night researching triple-positive breast cancer so she knew what to expect.

“I’ve always hated surprises, I’ve always been the one to know about birthday and Christmas presents, so when I did that I felt like I was a little more prepared and not so naive,” she said .

‘From my research I already knew what my treatment would be. My biggest worry at that point was whether I would lose my hair.”

Telling her father Joseph about the diagnosis was heartbreaking as he did not take the “devastating” news well.

“For the first few months after I heard the news, I didn’t sleep, I lay in bed at night crying at the possibility of losing her,” he said.

Four weeks later, when Shanon started chemotherapy at Mater Hospital Brisbane and Mater Cancer Care Centre, Joseph was her unwavering support and committed to being by her side every step of the way.

To pass the time during sessions, which could last up to eight hours, Shanon and Joseph started making fun videos of themselves dancing.

To pass the time during chemotherapy sessions, which could last up to eight hours, Shanon and Joseph started making fun videos of themselves dancing

The dances became a routine for the duo and a fun distraction when Shanon felt exhausted from chemotherapy

“Initially it was just for my Facebook and Instagram, maybe as reassurance to family and friends that I was okay,” she said.

‘I found it difficult to support myself during my treatment, but also the need to reassure my children, family and friends that everything would be fine, when I actually didn’t know if it would be.’

The dances became a routine for the duo and a fun distraction when Shanon felt exhausted from chemotherapy.

‘Some days I was sitting in the chair, with no energy, I was in pain, I didn’t feel well and my father asked, “Are we going to dance today?” and I said, ‘No, I don’t feel like it,'” she said.

“Then I felt guilty because I thought he would be worried, so I got up and did it, but I felt better afterward.”

However, just a few weeks before Shanon was scheduled to finish chemotherapy, Joseph suffered a life-threatening heart attack and required open-heart surgery.

Chemotherapy failed to shrink Shanon’s cancer, but after a partial mastectomy to remove the lump and a short course of radiation, she is now in remission

“To this day, I still believe the heart attack was the result of heartbreak as I watched Shanon battle this disease,” Joseph said.

“From the day she was diagnosed and to this day, I pray for her every night.”

Shanon said Joseph was “a little confused” for a while after his surgery, but eventually recovered quickly and was back by her side for her final chemo appointment.

The chemotherapy didn’t shrink Shanon’s cancer, but after a partial mastectomy to remove the lump and a short course of radiation, she is now in remission.

Joseph said his “prayers were answered” when he discovered his daughter had beaten the disease and “cherished” the “special” memories they made together while dancing through chemotherapy.

However, Shanon doesn’t feel like she’s out of the woods because she knows her cancer has a high recurrence rate.

However, Shanon doesn’t feel like she’s out of the woods because she knows her cancer has a high recurrence rate.

Shanon urges women not to delay if they find a lump, even if they or their doctor think it could be ‘nothing’, and to have regular breast checks, which are free for women over 40.

‘I see my oncologist every six months and my breast surgeon every twelve months. “I had a check-up with the breast surgeon two weeks ago and next Tuesday I have to have a biopsy on a lump in my breast,” she said.

‘I just have to go through all that trauma again, although I think now that I’ve experienced it I’m less anxious. I’m going to deal with it, there’s nothing you can do about it, it’s going to be what it’s going to be.”

Shanon uses her experience to support Indigenous people experiencing cancer by working with University of Queensland researchers as a First Nations Cancer Clinical Nurse Consultant at Princess Alexandra Hospital.

She helps Indigenous patients access adequate treatment, especially those who live remotely, and feel supported throughout their cancer journey.

“In Queensland, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are almost twice as likely to die after being diagnosed with cancer and have a significantly lower five-year survival rate than other Queenslanders,” she said.

“I know what it feels like to undergo cancer treatment as a patient, as a nurse and as a First Nations person.”

She also urges Australian women not to delay if they find a lump, even if they or their doctor think it could be ‘nothing’, and to have regular breast checks, which are free for women over 40 .