Tessa's Brave Battle

Tessa McHugh is a bright and vibrant young woman who works as a Provisional Psychologist and Registered Play Therapist, helping children heal through play. You’d never guess that just a matter of years ago, she was battling a rare cancer. 

At the age of 16, Tessa was diagnosed with Stage 2 Chrondosarcoma. As an active teenager who played a lot of sport, rode horses and taught gymnastics, Tessa was used to a few niggles and bruises. But a persistently sore spot after getting bumped playing sport at school revealed an unexpected lump on her shoulder blade.

“Initially I wasn’t aware of a lump being there,” says Tessa.

“Until I got bumped at school, it wasn’t painful. As it had been growing over a period of time, I hadn’t noticed it. I would never have thought it was cancer. When I discovered that the lump had been growing for a while, and was cancerous, I couldn’t believe it.”

After being diagnosed and having more tests, doctors mentioned that it was likely that the tumour had been growing slowly for around nine months. Tessa hadn’t noticed as it had developed over a long period of time and was in such an unusual spot. It’s not often you check your shoulder blade for lumps, especially as a teenager.

Sarcoma is notoriously difficult to diagnose. It wasn’t something that Tessa’s GP had seen before. After a referral from the GP to get an Xray and ultrasound, and also receiving a CT scan at the same appointment, Tessa realised there was cause for concern.

“I was told whilst getting these scans that the GP would stay open late and was directed for my dad and myself to go straight back to the clinic, with my mum meeting us there. It was then that I was told by the GP that they believed it was cancer, but they needed to do more testing to confirm and determine what type. I was admitted to the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s hospital the next morning and over the following days had a biopsy under general anaesthetic as well as more scans. Then we waited for the results to come back.”

Even Tessa’s GP had never heard of sarcoma before. But the type of sarcoma she was diagnosed with was even rarer in adolescents – Chrondosarcoma is more common in older people.

It was deemed that chemotherapy or radiotherapy were not the effective approaches for removing the tumour. Diagnosed just before Christmas 2015, Tessa waited 6 weeks before undergoing her first surgery. She was in a lot of pain. Tessa went in for surgery to have a sub-total scapulectomy (removing a large portion of her shoulder blade and surrounding muscles), which left her with a 20cm scar. The tumour was successfully removed, and Tessa began recovering and started Year 11 at school. It was hoped that there would just be one surgery, however over the next few months and years there were several complications and recurrences of the tumour.

Over the next few months, the wound broke down and plastic surgeons had to repair the wound with another two surgeries. In July 2016, surgeons underwent reconstructive surgery, where a Latissimus Dorsi Flap (muscle from her back) was relocated to the cavity in her shoulder.

Tessa had regular scans, initially being every three months. Nine months from her first surgery, she was devastated to be told of the first recurrence. She went in for another surgery at the end of 2016. There were clear scans over the following months, however a few weeks before Tessa turned 18, doctors suspected that the sarcoma had returned. Due to the location of the suspected tumour being in the shoulder joint, the biopsy was unsuccessful, and she had to wait another agonising six weeks before confirming it was a recurrence. One week after finishing Year 12, Tessa was back for surgery number five, which removed part of the shoulder joint, and inserted surgical mesh in hopes that this would allow Tessa to have action function of her shoulder and arm.

“It was the first time my surgeon, had ever done that type of reconstruction in Australia. Although I have so much trust in my surgeon, it was nerve-wracking to know that,” said Tessa.

“Doctors and health care professionals are always curious to learn about it. Chrondosarcoma really is that rare.”

“Going into that operation, my surgeon was hopeful that this type of surgery would give me the best functional outcome, although it was not clear how much function that would be. I was again in a sling for 8 weeks, and following this I had to relearn how to use my arm. I started with hydrotherapy, going to the local pool with my mum and using my arm passively underwater. I also had physiotherapy, and was determined to be able to use my arm again.”

After three months of hard work, Tessa was cleared to drive before she started university.  It’s a testament to her dedication that through so many surgeries and so much stress, she didn’t press pause on her studies, and still went on to excel.

“I have no clue how I did Year 11 and 12,” she says. 

“I was determined not to let sarcoma take over. It felt like my studies were the only thing I could control. I immersed myself in my studies when all this other chaos was happening around me. I’ve always been a passionate learner.”

Against all odds, Tessa started university studying a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) in Adelaide.

But she was not out of the woods. After one clear scan, she noticed another small lump. She was only three weeks into her degree. An MRI identified the recurrence she didn’t want to see. This time it was closer to the surface and easier to remove. After so much time in hospital, she was accustomed to the procedures. She had the last surgery and was then home next day.

In March 2025, Tessa celebrated a milestone of seven years in the clear from sarcoma. She continues to have annual MRI scans.

“My arm may have limited strength and function, but you can’t tell by looking at me. Until 2023, I continued to teach gymnastics, just slightly modified things. Teaching and staying committed to the things I loved helped my wellbeing as well as my recovery. Both go hand in hand.”

“I was also very determined to continue horse riding, and this was one of my goals and kept me determined throughout all of the surgeries and setbacks”

A support network is crucial for treatment and recovery. It wasn’t just Tessa’s Mum, Dad and older brother who helped her through, but her schoolteachers, who admired her courage and dedication to getting her assignments done. Despite six surgeries, she didn’t miss a beat.  

“Early detection is so important,” says Tessa.
 

“I am so lucky to have been diagnosed early. I am also very grateful for the fantastic support I had from professionals. My physiotherapist was a fantastic support, who I still see monthly. Going through something as challenging as this was made easier having a surgeon that is very talented at his job, but also empathetic and has great interpersonal skills. I think the toughest thing was coping emotionally with the diagnosis and all the medical interventions. But I was never going to let sarcoma stand in the way of me succeeding or enjoying my life.”