FOR a split second, I flew through the air, before landing on the floor with a thump.
Looking up at my daughter’s worried face, I smiled, joking that I thought I’d popped a boob. I had no idea that trip was about to save my life.
It was April 2018 when I went to help my daughter Lauren, now 32, move into her new flat. There was an ugly metal blind the sellers had left in the bay window.
I’m not a clumsy person, but as I tried to pull it down, my feet got tangled in the long, looping cord. One second I was upright, the next heading for the floor.
It took a few seconds for me to realise what had just happened. Lauren and I were both pretty shaken that I’d just missed hitting my head on a concrete storage heater, but thankfully I was OK, apart from one of my F-cup boobs, which had been seriously squashed when I’d landed on it.
Two days later, I was lying in bed when I thought about my fall again. My breasts weren’t sore, but I thought I’d better have a quick feel to make sure there wasn’t any damage.
That’s when I found a golf-ball-sized lump at the bottom of my right breast.
I didn’t tell anyone I was going to the GP – it seemed silly to worry them over a bruised boob.
One in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.*
Around three in four of those diagnosed will survive the disease for 10 years or more.*
I was still calm when I told my husband Graham that the doctor had referred me for scans at the hospital. It was only during a biopsy 13 days later that the panic crept it.
Surely I wouldn’t need this if it was just a bruise? Then the consultant told me that there was a 50/50 chance that I had cancer, but they’d know more when the results came back in 10 days.
The shock was so great, I immediately went into denial. I was too young for cancer. I had two children, Lauren and her younger brother Kieron, 30, who needed me.
I didn’t tell them anything, even as we celebrated my 48th birthday a few days later.
Returning to hear the doctor say: ‘I’m afraid it’s cancer,’ I immediately replied: ‘You’ve got the wrong script.’ It seemed impossible. It was only when they gave Graham and me a minute alone that the tears came.
The children were devastated. I explained that doctors were going for a cure and it would involve chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy.
It was a huge relief when further scans found the cancer hadn’t spread, however it was an extremely aggressive type.
Before, I’d hardly ever thought to check my boobs, so if I hadn’t fallen over that blind, I’d never have spotted the lump – then where would I have been?
The fear hit in strange moments, like watching a travel show with Graham about Croatia and suddenly realising I might never go on holiday again, or that I might not live to see Christmas.
Physically, the treatment was rough. I had chemo between June and November 2018, then surgery to remove the lump in December, and radiotherapy began in January 2019.
But I was so thankful for my amazing family. We joked and laughed constantly, which was how we always got through tricky times.
I began blogging after my diagnosis. It was the perfect way to express my emotions, and to keep people updated without having to constantly talk about it.
In October 2022, I turned my blog into a book, and it was amazing to hear from other women on their cancer journeys.
I just want to make the most of the second chance that fall has given me
Thankfully, my treatment was successful. I’m still on medication, but I had my last yearly mammogram in July 2023, and in December I was discharged from the breast clinic.
Cancer has changed me. I’ve done mad things, like paragliding off a mountain in Turkey and abseiling from the top of a hospital to raise money for Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity.
I try to say yes to things now, even if they scare me. I still think about how lucky I was to land flat on my face in Lauren’s flat.
If it wasn’t for that ugly metal blind, I might not be alive now. I just want to make the most of the second chance that fall has given me.
BREAST cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK.
The majority of women who get it are over 50, but younger women and, in rare cases, men can also get breast cancer.
If it’s treated early enough, breast cancer can be prevented from spreading to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer can have a number of symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue.
Most breast lumps aren’t cancerous, but it’s always best to have them checked by your doctor. You should also speak to your GP if you notice any of the following:
Source: NHS
