In October 2023, I decided to go to the doctor about a change in my left breast that had been worrying me for a while. It started as a patch of skin feeling hard rather than a lump and to be honest, I didn’t give it much thought for a long time, which is something I came to regret later on. However in the October, my breast started to be very painful and I noticed a round ball-shape lump in a different part of the breast.
I went to the GP, thinking she would say it was nothing, but she agreed that she could feel something. She referred me straightaway to the breast clinic at Macclesfield hospital.
I attended an appointment at the breast clinic for a number of hours where I underwent a number of tests including mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies and examinations. The doctors said they weren’t sure what the mass was. I have fibrous breasts, which means cancer can be more likely and more difficult to spot on ultrasounds and mammograms. I therefore had to wait for the result of the tests, which took three weeks.
After this three week period I went back to the clinic for my results. When I went into the room, there were five people sat round, all looking at me, so I knew it wasn’t going to be good news.
I was told that I had ER+ breast cancer, which means the cancer is fed by oestrogen. I would need to have emergency surgery to remove the cancer, followed by five months of chemotherapy, the purpose of which is to try and eliminate any rogue cancer cells floating around my body. I was in a total state of shock that I think I am only starting to come out of now, cancer shouldn’t happen to me! I felt very uncertain and scared about the future. I had always assumed I would live to be an old lady, so it was a huge shock to realise this wouldn’t necessarily be the case.
I underwent the surgery and treatment and have now come out onto the other side, although I have to take preventative medication for the next ten years. I am so grateful to the NHS for all the treatment and support I received. I also found the Breast Cancer Now charity very helpful indeed and I went on a ‘Moving Forward’ course at the end of my treatment. They also teamed me up with a Buddy through their programme called ‘Someone Like Me’. Jen provided me with the most wonderful support and I am forever grateful to her for getting me through it with my sanity mainly intact.
I wish I had gone to the doctor earlier when I first noticed the change in consistency of my breast as it could have improved my treatment and potential long-term outcomes, but I can’t turn back the clock so have to put that to bed in my mind. The effects of having cancer haven’t all been bad, many of my personal relationships have improved a lot as I value the wonderful people in my life more. I think I am much more laidback now (although maybe not everyone would agree!) and I have a much better sense of perspective when I start to get stressed about things. I am also braver; when I need to make a decision on whether to do something, I think back to the Becky sat in a chemo suite, unsure about what her future looked like. I ask her what I should do and she always says “just go for it, you have to make the most of every moment”.
In April 2025 I started running, and in July, I did a Race for Life with four special friends and my niece. We raised over £3,000 for Cancer Research UK, which is constantly working towards improving cancer outcomes and treatment for everyone.
Becky – Bridgend Centre Chief Officer