Cake-Hack Guru & Decorator Tegan Maccormack, 37, Is Battling Breast Cancer and Determined To Keep Her Social Media Presence ‘Happy, Fluffy, & Colorful’: ‘I’m Lucky I Caught This When I Did’

She explained, “Okie Dokie and G’day everyone! Just wanted to fill you all in on something that has been going on with me. You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t been posting videos like usual.

“Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The good news is, we’ve caught it early. It’s treatable. And I’m going to be ok.”

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A post shared by Tegan Maccormack (@tigga_mac)

After admitting things have been “tough” since her diagnosis, she offered fans some insight into her treatment plan, which will begin with surgery next week, which will be followed by additional “treatment”—which hasn’t been specified.

She continued, “It’s all been very overwhelming and scary but I have the best support network. I’m surrounded by the most amazing family and friends. I’m doing ok. My prognosis is good.

“In regards to the Tigga Mac channel, I want it to remain the happy, fluffy, colorful and joy filled channel it’s always been. I won’t be documenting my cancer journey on here.”

Maccormack then noted how she hopes her followers understand that she’s choosing to fight this disease “privately” as she wants her social media pages to remain her “happy place” and “escape from the world.”

She concluded, “Lastly, I just wanted to say that I’m lucky I caught this when I did. I found the lump myself, I went to my GP, got scans done a couple of days later and then the day after that I had my diagnosis. So ladies, please check your boobs!

“Cancer is so common but somehow you still don’t expect it to happen to you. It still doesn’t feel real, but it is.”

We’re glad to see Maccormack doing what’s best for her at this time, and that she’s still planning on returning to the cake kitchen during her cancer journey when she feels up to it.

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A post shared by Ferguson Plarre’s Bakehouse (@fergusonplarresbakehouse)

Maccormack’s fans were quick to respond with kind words, with one writing, “Sending love to you. We love you and your videos.

“Thank you for sharing as you have in this time to help others, what an amazing person you are.”

Another fan commented, “Hey you take care of yourself now. So glad it’s been caught quickly and being treated asap. … Looking forward to the ongoing cheerfulness of this profile and we’re with you all the way.

“Breast cancer screening is a must. Lots of hugs darling.”

“As everyone who follows you we feel we know you, we love your posts, your talent and your humor. This post was a shock and I can’t imagine how extremely difficult it has been and will be,” a third wrote.

“You sound like you’re dealing with it mostly in your usual positive manner when you can. My thoughts are with you, stay strong & lean on family & friends.”

Following the big announcement on her cancer news, she took to her Instagram story to share a selfie of herself and some gratitude.

Maccormack wrote, “Feeling the love. I was so nervous sharing the news. I was in a little bubble and now that bubble has popped. But I’m glad it’s out.

“And wow. Such an overwhelming amount of support pouring in. I appreciate you all!”

Coping With a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

If you are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, your emotions are likely to run high, which is completely normal. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik says emotions are often fluid when coping with a diagnosis.

“The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid. You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support, whether that’s a therapist, friends, family, or both, to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions,” Dr. Plutchik said.

If a stressful event affects how you think and feel, it may be time to seek mental health treatment. This could mean traditional talk therapy, medication, changing lifestyle habits (like exercise and diet), seeking a support group, or many other approaches.

Women needing a little extra help coping with a breast cancer diagnosis should consider the following.

• Let your family and close friends know and let them help. So many cancer survivors tell us they want and need support but are often too preoccupied to make specific requests. Urge those close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
• Keep a journal. It can be highly cathartic to let those feelings loose on paper. Grab a pen and a lovely journal and chronicle your thoughts throughout the day.
• Join a cancer support group. Groups are available in nearly every community and offer opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn constructive insight from others who can tell you what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
• Consider seeing a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Often, vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than internalizing them can provide relief.

Breast Cancer Surgery

It’s unclear what type of surgery Maccormack will be undergoing and what stage cancer she was diagnosed with, but it’s important the types of surgery women undergo after getting diagnosed with the disease.

A lumpectomy is a surgery to remove a cancer or abnormal tissue from the breast. It’s also known as breast-conserving surgery because, unlike mastectomy, only the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue are removed.

WATCH: Choosing between a lumpectomy or mastectomy.

During a mastectomy, the breast is removed. In a double mastectomy, both breasts are removed. In many cases, women choose to undergo breast reconstruction.

Reconstruction gives women the chance to have implants put in right after the mastectomy procedure. However, some women choose not to have reconstruction at all.

Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet that most women do opt to have some reconstruction. Depending on what sort of surgery a woman chooses, the time spent in surgery can vary greatly.

There are many different options and techniques available for reconstruction — from implants to using a woman’s own tissue — and choices about when to get the reconstruction, meaning immediate (at the time of mastectomy) or delayed (which could be months or even years later).

Immediate reconstruction can produce better results than delayed reconstruction, resulting in fewer surgeries. However, it may require a more extended initial hospitalization and recovery time. This long surgery may also have a higher risk of complications, such as infections, than two separate surgeries.

It may be worth noting that “Delayed reconstruction has fewer complications than immediate reconstruction,” Dr. Terry Myckatyn, a plastic surgeon specializing in breast reconstruction, told SurvivorNet.

When implants are used, the procedure can take two to three hours (so the total surgery time would be around five hours). During reconstruction, one can also take one’s own tissue (usually from the belly area) and transfer it into the breast area.

After breast cancer surgery, women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer may also need chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy.

Building the Courage to Share

Some people battling a disease or cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves or close loved ones. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches and everything in between, are valid.

“Patients who have just been diagnosed with cancer sometimes wonder how they are going to handle the diagnosis of the cancer in social situations,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik explains.

Questions like “How much information should they share and with whom should they share the information?” are things Plutchik says patients take into consideration.

Dr. Plutchik explains, “There is no one right way to handle this diagnosis. People should do what feels right to them.”

A cancer journey can last months to years, which means cancer warriors may be experiencing a lot of uncertainty until they fully understand where their health stands. This uncertainty can influence when a cancer patient is ready to share their diagnosis, Dr. Plutchik further explained.

Dr. Plutchik stresses that those close to a person going through cancer should be respectful of their wishes when it comes to disclosing their diagnosis and seeking support.

Staying Positive Despite Adversity

We love how Tigga Mac is staying positive throughout her cancer journey, which is why we’d like to point out how SurvivorNet specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.

WATCH: Defining and Building Resilience

Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously spoke to SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates, saying, “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. The ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?

It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.” In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.

You can build resilience the way you build muscle – through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller, all who have spoke with SurvivorNet in earlier interviews.

• Be willing to learn. If one way doesn’t work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it. In Resilience, one of the athletes says, “You always have to be learning. Otherwise, life gets stagnant.” The more you learn, the more you grow and growth is a sign of resilience.
• Spend time with people who inspire you. Our world is filled with people who overcome challenges, and their success can energize you to overcome your own. Think about famous people who hava faced adversity and did not give up Stephen King actually threw his manuscript, Carrie, in the trash because it had been rejected by publishers so many times. His wife encouraged him to keep sending it out, and he finally sold it in 1974 launching a massively successful career as a novelist. Take the time to read and learn about the lives of Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, Bethany Hamilton, Nelson Mandela, and others.
• Allow yourself to grieve. Don’t push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Ben Fischer says that life can be filled with lots of crying, but “Those cries make us stronger.”
• Be flexible. Abandon the idea that there is only one solution or that you must stick to your original plan. The best solution or plan is the one that eventually works. You may need to change your original plan as the circumstances change.
• Lean in to your community. Your friends, colleagues, and family are invaluable, and when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you. The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest study of human well-being. Many news outlets have covered its results, which show that maintaining strong, healthy relationships helped people live longer lives.   Psychiatrist and author Dr. Samantha Boardman tells SurvivorNet that connecting with and contributing to the lives of other people are two of “the three wellsprings of vitality” (the third is feeling positively challenged).

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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