“I knew that I needed something to focus on rather than the illness itself, a purpose,” says Angie. “I was not going to let this disease consume my life, or stop me exploring my dreams and aspirations of working up the corporate ladder. Staying at work was very challenging, but I also feel that it was the thing that kept me going, no matter what. It also taught me that you are more formidable with a strong team of people around you whether family, friends, colleagues or a medical team. ”

A grinding six month schedule of work, travel, chemo every Friday, and recovery over the weekends has given Angie a wealth of experience of how to be resilient in stressful situations. She is looking forward to sharing these insights with others in both their personal and business lives in her soon to be released blog Boobs2Boardroom.

This is what Lynch’s learnt in the process.

Knowledge is power

Battle with cancer would hinge on her understanding of the disease and process she faced. “Knowledge is power, but only with context,” says Lynch . “When I was diagnosed I rushed to Google searching terms like ‘will breast cancer kill me?’ and ‘survival rates’. Google can be a powerful tool, but also the darkest place.Know what information and advice to filter out, and what to keep.” 

Take calculated risks

Facing a life challenging threat, Lynch found that taking great risk to achieve great reward was necessary, and is armed by that knowledge to this day. 

“I chose to take a combo of two drugs that could have life threatening risks, but it was my best shot for long term survival. I also made the choice to work, because I knew I needed to have a bigger purpose and not have the cancer define me,” says Lynch . “Living on the edge is not necessarily where you want to be, but sometimes it’s necessary. In business, the same is true.”

Have a sense of humour

Humour was the quality that turned Angie’s horrific to a bonding experience. “I remember just before my mastectomy the nurse marked the part of my body to be removed, but she marked the wrong side,” relates Angie. “I was on calming meds and it was lucky that I noticed. Because of the meds, I was able to laugh, and it became so infectious it spread to my family. We laughed and laughed all the way to the operating theatre. It didn’t change my circumstances, but it showed us that even though the situation was challenging, we were still able to find beauty at the moment.”