By SHANIA OBRIEN, COMMERCIAL CONTENT PRODUCER (LIFESTYLE & SHOPPING)
When Michaela Grace Coy noticed a tender lump beside her nose, she assumed it was a pimple.
Less than seven weeks later, the 32-year-old was told an aggressive cancer had spread to the front of her brain and she may have only weeks or months to live.
The Sunshine Coast hairdresser first felt unusual facial soreness and was more exhausted than normal, but neither symptom alarmed her.
With several jobs, early gym sessions, horse riding, and a busy social life, she simply put her tiredness down to her full schedule.
'I lived quite a full life and was doing a lot so I thought I was probably just tired,' she told the Daily Mail.
On 2 July, Michaela discovered the lump at the corner of her nose. It was tender to touch, but as it caused little pain, she dismissed it as a blemish.
'I touched it, and it was a little bit sore, and I thought, "Oh, I should probably go to the doctor about this",' she recalled.
What followed was a confusing search for answers. A CT scan revealed her nose and eye socket appeared fractured, although she hadn't injured herself. Doctors suspected a blocked sinus, then an abscess, eventually deciding to operate on what appeared to be an infection.
When Michaela noticed a tender lump beside her nose, she assumed it was a pimple. The Sunshine Coast hairdresser first felt unusual facial soreness and was more exhausted than normal, but neither symptom alarmed her
However, during surgery, nothing was found to drain. As a precaution, a tissue sample was sent for analysis. Almost two weeks later, Michaela received a phone call: the cells were cancerous.
Within days, further scans showed the aggressive disease had already infiltrated the front of her brain. Surgery was deemed too dangerous. Michaela says she was told she might have six to 12 months left with chemotherapy, and only weeks without it.
Exhaustion and facial discomfort had become normal for Michaela. She worked four ten-hour shifts a week as a senior stylist, seeing up to 13 clients a day.
Outside the salon, she was a registered counsellor, ran a mobile bridal hair and makeup business with a friend, volunteered at a horse shelter, served on the board of a charity, looked after children at her gym, took singing lessons and had recently studied relationship therapy.
'I was always doing what I wanted to do and managing my time really well,' she said.
