I was a fit and healthy pilot when my world was turned upside down at the age of 33 after a simple itch led to a soul-crushing diagnosis

A fit and healthy pilot has revealed how she was diagnosed with cancer at 33 after finding a lump in her breast 'by chance' while watching TV.

Tamlyn Gresser, from New South Wales , said she had an itch and just happened to brush over the hard pea-sized bump as she went to scratch it.

'It felt like a hard pea. But I didn't think for a second it was going to be anything serious,' she told FEMAIL.

Tamlyn took herself to the doctor who didn't appear too concerned by the lump.

She had an ultrasound and mammogram just in case, and they both came back clear.

Tamlyn had been planning trip to Morocco so pushed the lump to the back of her mind and weeks later was jetting overseas.

'At that point I got over it and thought "I don't need to be dealing with this right now. I want to go enjoy my holiday". Then I got complacent, life got busy,' she said.

Twelve months later, she noticed the lump had become larger and started panicking.

That's when life as she knew it turned upside down, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 after a biopsy.

The lump was a 2cm tumour and Tamlyn was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in May 2024 - a year after first noticing the lump.

'I was in total shock and had thousands of thoughts and emotions running through my mind,' she said, recalling the day she was diagnosed.

'I felt like life as I knew it had been ripped from underneath me in an instant. The first thing I thought was, "Why didn't I act sooner? I've had this lump for 12 months, it must be all through me".'

Tamlyn started blaming herself and regretted not pushing for more tests.

'I was thinking to myself, "I should have pushed for a biopsy, why did I not do that?"' she said.

'Before I was diagnosed doctors weren't worried so I thought I shouldn't be worried, I just took the easy option.'

The pea-sized lump was Tamlyn's only symptom and she doesn't have a family history of the disease, so she was completely stunned by the news.

'I felt sick at the thought of having to call my mum and tell her that I had cancer. I felt so much guilt for letting it get to that, and heartbroken that I had to now break the news to my loved ones,' Tamlyn said.

'I kept flipping between this terrifying panic and then pulling myself back to being rational and telling myself to take one step at a time. I spent most of the night praying to God and asking him to let me live.'

Having been told the news on a Friday, Tamlyn had to wait until Monday to see a doctor, which she described as 'the most horrendous' feeling.

A lumpectomy was recommended by surgeons to remove the tumour and surrounding tissue.

Thankfully 'hundreds of tests' confirmed the cancer hadn't spread but she still had chemotherapy as a precaution.

Tamlyn also wants children in the future and luckily decided to freeze some of her eggs last year before the cancer ordeal occurred.

'I've always thought at some point in my life I would be a mum. Freezing my eggs last year was a blessing. Definitely keeping my options open it important to me,' she said.

A month later Tamlyn had surgery to remove the cancer followed by treatment, which will conclude around Christmas. The surgery went well but she will require regular check-ups for the next few years.

Tamlyn hopes sharing her story will inspire other women to check their breasts regularly.

'I never thought this would happen to me but I'm lucky it wasn't worse,' she said.

Every day in Australia, approximately 57 women receive a breast cancer diagnosis and among them, three are women under the age of 40.

This September, as Tamlyn continues to undergo chemotherapy she, her mum and closest friends will be hand delivering a Breast Check Shower Card into 57 letterboxes every day throughout the month on random streets across Sydney.

The '57 PINK POST DROPs' project will reach a total of 1710 households and aims to spread awareness and encourage women of all ages to check their breasts.

'Having a project, turning my pain into something positive, along with the proven benefits of daily exercise during treatment are all great motivators for me. My hope is that I reach somebody who really needs to check their breasts or book that screening, which is the best motivator of all,' Tamlyn said.