A Perth mum was on the receiving end of a few raised eyebrows when she took her nine-year-old daughter to get her makeup professionally done at a cosmetics counter recently.
But, Rosie Madaschi told FEMAIL that there was a heartbreaking ‘bigger picture reason’ that explains why she allowed her young daughter to have a makeover – and reminds others not to be so ‘quick to judge’ without knowing the full story.
Rosie, 39, explained that like many young girls today, her daughter Lily had recently become fascinated with beauty products and cosmetics.
Rosie was already a regular shopper at Australian beauty store Mecca, and as a loyal customer, she was intermittently offered free in-store makeup application sessions.
When her daughter’s birthday was approaching, Rosie thought the experience of having her make-up done by a professional would be the perfect gift – and it was.
But ahead of the appointment, Rosie admits she felt apprehensive about the possibility of ‘a few funny looks coming our way’.
Sure enough, during the session Rosie says she received some shocked glances while her young daughter sat in the makeup chair.
‘I’d expected that – but it didn’t take away from the experience. Lily loved it and she was on cloud nine afterwards,’ she said
Perth mother Rosie Madaschi, 39, (left) felt judged for taking her daughter to have her makeup done at a cosmetics counter. She hit back in an online post, sharing this picture of Lily, 9, (right) along with an explanation for the heartbreaking health reason behind her decision
Later, Rosie decided to share her experience in a MECCA Facebook group. It was there that she explained the devastating reason about why she’d persisted with taking her young daughter to have her makeup professionally done.
‘The bigger picture is that I have incurable cancer and don’t know if I’ll have the opportunity to teach her about skincare and makeup,’ Rosie said.
‘It was bittersweet to share this experience with her now,’ she continued, before profusely thanking the in-store staff who’d made the experience truly ‘special’.
Rosie elaborated that her decision to take Lily to have her makeup done was driven by wanting to enjoy the special mother-daughter bonding moment with her while she could.
‘It had been playing on my mind a bit because my mum never taught me about makeup and skincare. I learnt all of that on my own well into my 20s,’ she explained.
‘And I knew that my daughter was interested, and I knew that one day I would teach her about it all. But that realistic part of me also thought about that that may not happen.’
As for writing about her experience online afterwards, Rosie said she hoped it served as a reminder to others to not be so quick to judge someone’s actions without knowing the full story.
‘You never know what someone’s going through,’ Rosie said.
The post quickly went viral within the Facebook group, with the mum-of-two saying it was ‘beautiful and overwhelming’ to receive so many kind messages of support.
‘Lily and I read through [the messages] together. It was very emotional,’ the doting mum added.
Rosie was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2024 at the age of 38 after years of unexplained health issues.
Over the past decade, Rosie had been on the front foot with her health after learning she was a carrier of the BRCA gene, which predisposes women to breast and ovarian cancer.
As a precaution, Rosie had already undergone a preventative double mastectomy in 2017, and had planned to also have her ovaries removed before the age of 40.Â
But she never got around to doing it before receiving a cancer diagnosis.
‘I’ve had several medical staff say to me that I would have to be one of the unluckiest patients they’ve ever come across, because I had the BRCA gene mutation, which put me at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. But instead, I got cervical cancer,’ she said.
In the five years leading up to her diagnosis, a frustrated Rosie became convinced that her doctors were missing something, particularly when she started to experience worrying symptoms like ‘heavy bleeding and huge blood clots’.
Rosie (right) arranged an in store make-up session for her daughter Lily (left) as a gift for her 9th birthday. They are pictured with Rosie’s eldest son, Sebastian, 13
Despite being proactive and insisting on tests and check-ups, Rosie said the potential existence of cervical cancer was overlooked by her doctors – most likely because they were hyper focused on the possibility of her having breast or ovarian cancer.
‘I even had transvaginal ultrasounds to check my ovaries, which always looked fine. But no further investigating was ever done,’ Rosie said.
She laments that if the doctors had looked only slightly further afield they would have discovered the growth on her cervix and she ‘could have been diagnosed a lot earlier’.
In February 2024, Rosie wound up in hospital emergency after an episode of extreme blood loss. It was only then when the hospital conducted a broader scan followed by a biopsy that they confirmed that Rosie had a 7cm tumour in her cervix – and she was classified as having stage 3C cancer.
‘When I was finally diagnosed, there was obviously anger and frustration with feeling let down by the medical system. But there was a sense of relief and confirmation because I knew there was something wrong with me,’ Rosie said.
While there’s never a good time to receive a cancer diagnosis, it came at a point for Rosie when her life was soaring.Â
At the time, she’d been successfully running cake decorating business Sugar & Salt Cookies, which had a huge social media following. In 2021 she even published her own cookbook, Baking Happiness.Â
Rosie credits her children and family for providing her with huge support as she underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatment for cervical cancer
Meanwhile, she’d also found new love in her current partner, Davide.
But after Rosie’s diagnosis, she immediately stepped back from the business and refocused all her energy on her health.
After breaking the news of her cancer diagnosis to her loved ones, Rosie says she was blown away by how ‘resilient’ her kids were – and at the way Davide pledged to ‘support’ her, despite the relationship being fairly new.
From then, Rosie underwent chemotherapy and radiation.
‘The chemotherapy made me very sick, I was vomiting for two months straight,’ she recalled.
Momentarily, it seemed like the swift course of action had done the trick and Rosie very briefly went into remission.
But soon afterwards in September 2024, she received another blow when a follow-up scan confirmed that the cancer had not only returned, but had ‘spread past the initial site’ and had now reached the point where it would be classified as ‘incurable’.
‘When it came back, it was on a lymph node outside of the pelvic region and it was a 4cm tumor. It remained a stage 3C cancer but technically now it was considered incurable.’
Mother-of-two Rosie (left) underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cervical cancer, sharing updates of her treatment on her social media account
The mother says she initially incorrectly assumed that incurable also meant ‘terminal’.
‘But it’s not an immediate death sentence,’ she explained. ‘People can live a very long time with incurable cancer.’
Nevertheless, a defeated Rosie said getting the cancer diagnosis news for a second time was ‘a massive, massive shock to the system’.
What followed were more intensive rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, this time resulting in Rosie losing her hair.
After enduring ‘as much chemotherapy as I could’, Rosie said her cancer battle is now at a holding stage. She continues to undergo ‘maintenance immunotherapy for another year and a half’ while her doctors continue to monitor for any changes via regular quarterly scans.
‘I live my life three months at a time because they determine if the cancer is being controlled or if it’s spread or popped up in new place’.
‘It is not a nice way to live.’
Despite her current reality, Rosie says it’s prompted a huge shift in her mentality and approach to life.
Staying on top of her health for the sake of her children Sebastian (right) and Lily (left) is top priority for Lily as she looks towards her future
‘The biggest silver lining that comes from having cancer is that the bond and relationships with my loved ones have strengthened,’ she said.
‘I’m not sweating the small stuff anymore and I’m also saying yes to more things,’ Rosie added. ‘I’m going out. I’m going to concerts. I’ve got holidays booked. It’s not all doom and gloom.’
Nowadays, Rosie says she continues to do everything in her power to stay well for her family.
‘There are some days where I think I cannot do this anymore, but the kids are always at the forefront of my mind – and it just snaps me right back out of it.’
‘The thought of leaving them without their mum – it’s just not going to happen,’ she added.
‘That gives me the strength to keep going on these really hard days.’
The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation ambassador adds that the other thing that drives her is the hope that sharing her story will encourage other women to advocate for themselves when it comes to gynaecological cancers – particularly if, like Rosie, they feel their symptoms are being ‘dismissed’.
‘To any woman who is reading my story, just know that if you feel in your gut that something’s not right, never stop advocating for your own health and keep pushing for answers.’
