I hope that by opening up to you all about how breast cancer has affected my life, it will give you the inspiration needed to take up that all important breast screening appointment.
My role of Imaging Assistant in the Breast Screening Team has instilled just how important breast screening really is, so in 2014, when I received my first mammogram appointment I didn’t think twice about attending. I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday, one of my colleagues was leaving the Trust, so I gave her the pleasure of doing my mammogram. The whole thing was over in minutes and even though I worked for the department, I was treated like any other patient which ensured I fully understood the process and felt comfortable at all times. The appointment lasted around ten minutes, I’d had no signs or symptoms and felt great in myself so I was quite confident that everything would be fine.
Within a week, I had the most devastating news, the mammogram had picked up breast cancer in my right breast. My entire world turned upside down.
Throughout my diagnosis and treatment I decided to keep a diary of how I felt, from the lowest day to the good days, some of the good days meant that I actually felt fit enough to get out of bed for a while.
Initially, it all felt very surreal, as though the whole thing was happening to someone else and I was just going along for the ride. It took quite a long time to get my head around the news that I had breast cancer, especially as I felt so well and ‘normal’.
Luckily, although aggressive, the cancer was contained, so in January 2015, I started chemotherapy. From the day I was diagnosed, my whole world turned upside down, I was scared, the thought of chemo was daunting, yet what kept me going was the inspirational people I met along the way. These people were going through a worse journey than myself, their strength and sheer will power astounds me to this day. The side effects of chemo soon set in, the main being hair loss which is most people’s worst nightmare – I just had to keep telling myself that ‘I’m here’ and that there was light at the end of the very long tunnel.
In November 2015 I opted for a double mastectomy and the following November I had a reconstruction. I’ve learnt so much on this journey, my biggest piece of advice for anyone going through this is to talk, talk to others about their journey, talk about how you feel, there’s so many people out there who can help or give you advice. It was through talking to other ladies that I found out about a lady at the Jasmine Centre who offered such a good service, I was able to take in my regular bra’s and have them adapted for my prosthesis – this saved me so much money – it’s little things like this that become the big things!
In a nut shell, breast cancer has given me a new lease of life, I’m a different person to what I was three years ago and it has made me realise what really is important in life – if it wasn’t for breast screening, it could well have been a different story.
Please, take my advice and book that appointment, don’t put it off – there’s no time like now – I’m living proof that breast screening really does save lives.
Joanne Byram
Imaging Assistant