A THURGOONA couple expecting their second child have been overwhelmed by community support following a cancer diagnosis.
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Elenor Tedenborg, 45, felt a lump in her breast two weeks ago and received the diagnosis last week.
She will give birth to a baby boy on Tuesday, a month earlier than expected, and begin cancer treatment a short time later.
“I was really excited about going on maternity leave and getting the house and everything organised,” The Border Mail photographer said.
“You’re in an exciting time of your life, and then suddenly you get this news.
“My biggest worry is about who’s going to look after my little newborn.
“Am I going to be able to see my kids growing up?
“They’re all the things that go through your head.”
Ms Tedenborg moved from Sydney to Albury with partner Simon Bayliss last July and has been “gobsmacked” by the way the Border community had rallied around her.
“Having these people rallying around me is amazing,” she said.
“The other night I had a knock on my door.
“People from my whole street were there with practical gifts to cheer me up.
“I just burst into tears – I couldn’t believe it.
“I was so grateful.”
Mr Bayliss said being on the Border had been a blessing.
“We wouldn’t be getting the same amount of support up in Sydney,” he said.
“People have been fantastic.”
The couple are focused on the birth of their baby and fighting the disease, which Ms Tedenborg said would be a lot easier with the recent opening of the new cancer centre in Albury.
Fundraisers are underway to support the couple and their three-year-old boy Charlie.
Ms Tedenborg hopes sharing her story will cause people to get a check-up.
“This is not about me,” she said.
“I want to deliver the baby and get well, but I also want to get the health message out.
“I’ve done so many stories on men, women and children who have different forms of cancer.
“There’s no history of cancer in our family.
“The doctors had previously said because there was no family history I should wait until I turn 50, but here I am.
“Getting checked too many times is better than ending up in this situation.”
Ms Tedenborg will receive breast milk from a bank and is being supported by other mothers.
