Why Dundee mum with incurable breast cancer is determined to keep fighting for her son

The Courier

5 days ago

Kim Anderson recently conquered the UK's highest peak – ticking another goal off her bucket list.
Climbing Ben Nevis is an incredible feat for anyone to achieve.
But it proved to be even more poignant for the young mum from Dundee because she is battling incurable secondary breast cancer.
'I still can't believe I did it!,' Kim, 38, says.
'It took me 15 hours in total.
'I am just so happy I completed it because I wasn't sure I would manage.
'It just goes to show you can do anything you put your mind to.'
Kim was first diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago.
She underwent treatment which was successful.
But two years ago the mum-of-one started feeling unwell and a CT scan revealed the cancer had returned.
This time it has spread to other parts of her body including her brain.
But Kim wants to show that a diagnosis of secondary breast cancer doesn't mean your life is immediately over.
She is determined to live as long as she can to see her young son grow up.
In 2019 Kim, who was then aged 32, recalls showering one morning when she felt something unusual.
'I felt this huge lump on my left breast which I hadn't felt before,' she explains.
'I was a bit shocked but I called the doctor straight away.
'The doctor examined me and said it was likely just a cyst.
'She said I was too young to have cancer.
'She referred me to the breast clinic anyway but said it would be nothing to worry about.'
In August 2019 Kim attended the breast clinic at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
She had a mammogram, along with other tests.
Kim took her young son Bobby, who was only eight, with her.
'That's how unbothered by it I was. I thought I would be there for a quick look and then away again,' she explains.
As she was there longer she got her sister to pick up her son.
Kim then had a biopsy taken and an ultrasound.
'A consultant came in, took my hand and told me I was in the right place,' she continues.
'And I said to him: 'The right place for what?'
'He replied: 'Has no-one spoken to you yet?' I said 'no'. So he went to get one of the nurses.
'And I was taken into a private room.
'That's when they told me I had breast cancer.
'I felt like my stomach fell through the floor.
'I couldn't believe what I was hearing – I had no inkling of it.'
Kim was told she had HER2-positive breast cancer and that it was stage three.
It was quite far advanced and aggressive. But it hadn't spread to other parts of her body.
In that moment all Kim could think about was her young son.
'I was a single mum at the time and I just thought how am I going to tell him?
'How will we manage?'
Kim then went home and told her sister.
'I then Facetimed my mum, Julia, who lives in Texas and she couldn't believe it. None of us could.'
A few weeks later in October 2019 Kim started her cancer treatment.
She was given so-called 'Red Devil chemotherapy' – a nickname for the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin known for its harsh side effects.
Kim had six rounds of this chemotherapy at Ninewells which finished in January 2020.
Then before she had a course of radiotherapy Kim had a mastectomy with reconstruction.
In February 2020 Kim had a follow-up appointment at the breast clinic.
'My doctor told me I was cancer free and that I should go and live my life.
'I was so relieved and wanted to do exactly that.'
After life got back to normal after the pandemic Kim took Bobby to America to spend time with her mum.
'I just grabbed the opportunity because I thought you only live once.'
But in May 2023 Kim started to feel unwell.
'I had a continuous cough and was completely exhausted,' she says.
'I went to the doctor's but was told it was just health anxiety because of what I had been through before.
'But I knew something was wrong. I had also lost a lot of weight.'
A few months later in September Kim was struggling to breathe so her partner Mark took her to Ninewells.
She had a CT scan.
'The next morning a woman from the hospital phoned me with the results,' Kim says.
'She told me they had found cancer in a lot of places in my body.
'My head started spinning.
'She said it looked like secondary breast cancer which had metastasised in other areas including my throat.
'I was in an absolute state and just kept saying to Mark 'I'm going to die'.'
Doctors discovered a 5cm tumour in Kim's throat so she had radiotherapy straight away to shrink it.
She then had a further 12 weeks of chemotherapy before having maintenance treatment.
'I was told the cancer is now incurable.
'But they would be able to keep it at bay with treatment.'
The aim of treatment for someone with secondary breast cancer is to slow down the spread of the disease.
This can help someone live a normal life for many years.
Scans also revealed she had a 3cm tumour in her brain.
'When I learned it had gone to my brain I just thought I'm screwed.
'But the nurses helped me to get into a more positive mindset.
'They told me there were still lots of treatments to try.'
In September 2024 Kim had surgery to remove the tumour which was a success.
She has now been on her current maintenance treatment for two months.
Kim is grateful to have the support of her family.
'My mum has been flying over from Texas every time there has been a crisis or a treatment change.
'She helps me around the house when I am unwell. My sisters have been great too.
'Mark has also been really supportive.
'He has been by my side at every hospital appointment.'
Kim has a few things on her bucket list including travelling the North Coast 500.
She is also organising a fundraising event on October 25 at Mains Castle in Dundee – with plans to split the money raised between the charity Make 2nds Count and a savings account for Bobby.
But her main focus is to be around to see her 14-year-old son, who attends St John's RC High, grow up.
'I don't want to leave him here without a mum when he's a child. And that really is my driving force.
'He says to me: 'Mum you can't leave me here, you have to fight this'.
'And I tell him I am doing it – with as much fight as I have got in me I will use it to stay with him.'
Kim is also passionate about raising awareness of secondary breast cancer.
'You can still live. You can still do things and look after yourself as best you can.
'Of course there are days you want to stay in your bed – but just don't stay there.'
She adds: 'My biggest reason to keep on fighting is my son – he is the one who needs me most.'