Sarah
On the 2nd November 2005 at the age of 20 I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. After 6 months of Chemotherapy and 1 month of Radiotherapy I was given the all clear. 12 years later and still attending my annual check ups to the delight of my consultant everything was still ok. I was always told that once I reached 30 I would need to start having mammograms due to the radiotherapy touching my breast tissue. So as soon as I hit 30 and I started having MRI scans on my breasts due to me being too young for mammograms. After the first one I received a letter saying I had to go back as they wanted to do further checks...after a 3 hour wait and an ultrasound I was told it was just a cyst, the next year I went again and get a letter saying all ok see you in a year 😀😀😀
In 2018 I went for my 3rd MRI scan and within 1 week I received the dreaded ‘we need to do further tests letter’.
I didn’t worry too much and just thought it was the cyst as I didn’t have any lumps or other symptoms at all...however when I got there it was very different to the first time the nurses/radiographer seemed to look at me with sorrow in their eyes. They explained something had come up on my MRI scan and they needed to do further tests so they did a biopsy which I may not have worried so much about if they didn’t call the breast cancer nurse in to sit with me while I had it done.
They explained that I would need an appointment the following week...well little did they know I was flying to Cyprus with my beautiful son Alfie and amazing husband Adam 3 days later. If it was just a normal family holiday I may have looked at cancelling...but we were going for a very special reason to watch my gorgeous cousin marry her soul mate along with the rest of my family. I just couldn’t do it to them especially to my best friend and the most amazing lady I have ever met...My Mam.
So I booked an appointment for the day I returned. I hadn’t told many people about my recall but I decided not to let anyone worry about what may be so I lied I told everyone apart from Adam that everything was fine. Well maybe not everyone, my Dad who I tried to lie to but found it impossible knows me far too well and I couldn’t look him in the eyes while we sat on a beach in Cyprus and he asked me what the hospital had said!!! So with only me, Adam and my dad knowing I thought I would leave the rest until I knew for definite. Except I have a big mouth and on my 3rd night in Cyprus I met up with my sister Laura, her boyfriend Dan and my beautiful 14 week old nephew Oliver....after a few wines I blurted it out to her!!!!
So we arrived back home at 4.40am. After a couple of hours sleep, Adam and I went to the hospital where the news was confirmed I had stage 2 invasive Ductal breast cancer. It was the day before my 4 year old started school and I still had things to do so I continued as if nothing had happened. He was soooo excited to start school and there wasn’t anything spoiling it for him.
After 6 cycles of chemo, a double mastectomy and reconstruction and the toughest year of our lives I can now happily say I’m on my way back to normal (well as normal as I will ever be) and living each day to the fullest. I’m loving being a BooBee and meeting the amazing ladies who have battled and won against this disease!
It came, we fought and I won 💗💞