When Sarah and Tom Williams vowed to have and hold each other "in sickness and in health", it meant more for them than it does for most.
One week after the young couple from Hobart were married, Sarah underwent the first of two surgeries in two weeks to remove and then reconstruct her breasts.
It was a considered move for the 27-year-old, who was 22 when she was found to have a BRCA (which stands for breast cancer) gene mutation, giving her about a 65 per cent likelihood of developing breast cancer.
About five to 10 per cent of breast cancers are the result of a genetic mutation. In 2013, Angelina Jolie famously decided to undergo a double mastectomy after her discovery of the "faulty" gene, BRCA1.
Despite regular scans, the build up of anxiety from her dramatically increased risk took its toll and felt like a "cloud hanging over you".
She had spent a long time educating herself about the possibilities and after finally meeting with a plastic surgeon decided that planning her wedding in January this year was the perfect distraction for the impending surgeries.
"We came back from our honeymoon and I only had the weekend to think about it," says the pharmacist, whose mother battled the "horrible disease" that is breast cancer for 10 years and "is still here with us".
Despite admitting she was "pretty emotional" about the surgeries, Sarah had the perfect person to hold her hand through her ordeal.
Her new husband Tom, had been through his own battle, having being diagnosed with bone cancer in his shoulder blade several years earlier.
"Being a fit, healthy 24-year-old, it's not something you think of," says Sarah of Tom's diagnosis. "It was certainly a big shock."
The day of his diagnosis, when he walked in and told her that "it wasn't good", was the day Sarah says she knew he was the one.
"I knew at that point that I wanted to be there for this person in the ups and downs."
Tom had his shoulder blade removed and went through 11 months of chemotherapy and arduous hospital stays.
"To go through that together made our relationship stronger," Sarah says. "It's the unwavering support. It's knowing on the bad days of chemo, we had each other's back.
"I'd go in there [to hospital] on my days off and we wouldn't even have to speak ... it was just knowing we were there for each other."
It was a no-brainer when her best friend and partner proposed while they were on a wine tour in the Margaret River in 2014.
"We'd already made that commitment," she says of her partner of close to 10 years, who she met through mutual friends at university.
Seeing Tom's courage going through his own struggles gave her strength in her own.
"His outlook was amazing. Seeing him so calm and collected and it was just one day at a time," Sarah says. "I went into my surgery thinking if he can do it, I can, too."
The surgery has reduced her risk of breast cancer to about 4 per cent to five per cent, about half that of the average woman.
"It's been this weight lifted off me."
Experiencing so much together has also deepened their trust of one another.
"Your body doesn't look the same after surgery - it's the same for him, he has a huge scar on his back - our relationship is cemented on something so much more than that.
"We're both very lucky."
Pink Hope's Pinky Promise campaign launched on May 20. The campaign is designed to inspire and empower friends to get together and "Make a Pinky Promise" to have their BFFs back when it comes to their health. Find out more at: pinkypromise.com.au
