Kerry
'I can remember silent tears falling whilst the nurse kept telling me that it might be ok…’
Kerry Hodgkiss was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, aged 48. Kerry made a conscious effort to check herself monthly as she had two friends who had also been diagnosed with breast cancer in their mid-40s.
Her treatment finished in 2020 and two years later Kerry has joined Prevent Breast Cancer as part of BooBee’s Big Campaign. The BooBees are 100 women who have been affected by breast cancer and are joining together to spread awareness and fundraise for a future without breast cancer.
Kerry has very kindly shared her breast cancer story with us and told us why she wanted to be a part of the BooBee Campaign.
Can you tell us about your breast cancer diagnosis?
One morning whilst doing my stretches I decided to do my breast check, something which I had made an effort to do every month as two of my closest friends had been diagnosed with breast cancer in their mid-40s. I was acutely aware of the need to be vigilant.
Having found a lump, I went straight to my GP who said they didn’t think there was anything to worry about but would refer me anyway “just to be on the safe side”. Fast forward one week and I found myself in a waiting room at a breast clinic. I watched women luckily skipping out smiling after being seen whilst I was told after my mammogram that I needed a biopsy. I can remember silent tears falling whilst the nurse kept telling me that it might be ok, but instinctively I just knew it wouldn’t be.
I returned to the clinic, accompanied by one of my best friends and fellow BooBee, Wendy.
I was called into the room and when I saw the surgeon and the breast care nurse everything became a blur. I just remember them saying that if I was going to get breast cancer, I got the best one!
What treatment did you have?
By October I had my first surgery, a lumpectomy. By early November, I went back in to have further surgery and luckily, they got “clear margins”.
In December 2019 I started chemotherapy. Chemotherapy finished in April 2020 and six weeks later I started radiotherapy. Three weeks later I was done. It was during the Pandemic, and so I wasn’t allowed to ring the bell, but I skipped out feeling a massive sense of achievement!
Are you still receiving any treatment?
I will be on Tamoxifen for 10 years.
What inspired you to take part in BooBee’s Big Campaign and what do you hope to gain from it?
I was inspired by my friends who have also been affected by breast cancer and I hope to spread awareness.