Mum diagnosed with breast cancer at routine screening despite displaying no symptoms
A mum was diagnosed with breast cancer after attending a routine screening appointment, despite the fact she had no symptoms. Sharon Seery, from Linwood in Renfrewshire , received an invitation to attend a routine breast screening appointment through the post last year. The 52-year-old attended the appointment and an abnormality was discovered in one of her results. A few weeks later, the mum-of-one was asked to attend the West Scotland Breast Screening Centre in Glasgow for more tests. She was later diagnosed with Her 2 positive, ER-negative breast cancer - a common type of breast cancer where cancer cells have receptors for estrogen and progesterone. Recounting the experience , Sharon said: 'It was a major shock. I remember feeling completely numb. I saw my life flash in front of me, the special moments, my girls being born, my wedding day, family times, my joy when my first grandchild Edan arrived. I tried to look to the future but it felt dark.' Sharon underwent eight gruelling rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. The brave mum then had ten sessions of radiotherapy at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. Currently, she is in remission and is recovering well but she will continue to receive the drug Herceptin every three weeks. In April, she celebrated the birth of her first granddaughter, Aila Beth Seery-Hutchinson. Sharon said: 'I've received excellent treatment which has basically saved my life . 'There are good days and not so good days. I'm beginning to feel better and starting to embrace the new me. I know there are good things ahead. "Without all the people who get out there and raise money for research in to cancer then things may not have turned out this way. What a difference a year makes.' As Sharon recovered at home last year, she received a surprise video message from her friend, Kate Bain and a 13-strong group from Shevlanes Pub in Springburn had just completed Race for Life Glasgow in Sharon's honour, raising more than £4,000 for Cancer Research UK. As the countdown is on before this year's Race for Life Glasgow , Sharon is encouraging others to sign up. Sharon said: 'I cried when I received the video message from Kate and team at Race for Life Glasgow last May. 'Cancer can feel like a lonely place. I had gone from swimming three times a week and always being outdoors to losing my hair due to the side effects of chemotherapy , feeling unwell and spending most of my time inside. 'Receiving that message and knowing there were people out there right behind me felt like a massive hug. It was kind and I felt honoured. It still makes me emotional just thinking about it." Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK 's spokeswoman in Scotland, said: 'Sadly nearly 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime*** but all of us can support the research that will beat it. We're proud that Race for Life has had such a positive impact. Every pound raised supports our life-saving work, which has helped double cancer survival in the UK over the last 50 years. 'We'd love for as many people as possible across Scotland and beyond to join us at Race for Life. There is an event for everyone and we mean everyone. Our events are strictly non-competitive which means everyone can have a go- and love every minute. There's no pressure to finish in a certain time, just give it what you can. Lace up and join in." To enter, visit raceforlife.org
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BBC News
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Metro
3 days ago
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Once you've found out you've got breast cancer, it's hard to seek solace in almost anything. Yet I was able to take at least a little comfort from medics repeatedly telling me that if you are diagnosed early (known as 'stage 1 to 2'), the disease is often highly treatable. Early breast cancer is more commonly known as stage 1 or 2 breast cancer. Stage 1 or 2 breast cancer is then further divided into stages 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. Which stage you are diagnosed with depends on whether the cancer is bigger than 2cm or 5cm, and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes, how many and where. Common symptoms include a lump in the breast or armpit, skin dimpling or a change in texture, unusual nipple discharge, nipple changes, and changes in breast size or shape. You can find out more from Cancer Research UK here. Jessie herself has said she is 'holding on' to the word 'early'. The staging system is worked out based on certain factors, such as the size of the cancer, and whether it has spread to lymph nodes in the armpit. (Mine was a little bigger than 5cm overall, but very fortunately, hadn't spread). Prior to getting diagnosed, I was in really good health. I'd been vegetarian since the age of nine, had never smoked, and did exercise most days. There was also no family history of it. But as I have come to understand in the wake of all this, cancer does not discriminate, even when you're a world-famous celebrity. I, and Jessie, are simply two of the unlucky ones. I made the appointment to get myself checked out after finding a lump on my left breast while sitting in the bath a few weeks into lockdown. At the time, I remember thinking it was more just precautionary, as opposed to anything else. At first, even the consultant wasn't too concerned, suggesting it might just be a sporting injury. But the scans soon told a very different story. After going through a blur of mammograms and ultrasounds – and having several biopsies taken – it was confirmed that I was going to need chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. One of the toughest summers of my life followed. I underwent a gruelling four-month chemotherapy regime – consisting of Paclitaxel and Carboplatin – as well as an intense two-week course of daily radiotherapy. And in the midst of all that, I had an operation known as a 'therapeutic mammoplasty.' While this is not as major as a mastectomy, it is more involved than a lumpectomy. It essentially involves surgeons removing the tumour, but trying to save as much of the breast as possible. To paraphrase the words of Jessie J in her heart-wrenchingly honest and emotional Instagram video: 'I got to keep my nipples.' In October 2020, I got the 'all-clear' (or at least the closest thing you get to an 'all-clear' as far as cancer is concerned – as once you've had this disease, you never really get to walk away). All I can say to Jessie J – and anyone going through any version of this gruelling journey right now – is that I am forever grateful to my body for making it through all of this. It may look a little different these days, but I am still here – working full-time, being a mum to two high-octane kids now aged nine and six, playing netball, lifting weights, sea swimming and so much more – and I have my body to thank for that. I have also learned to love my boobs all over again. Jessie J mentioned how she had gone 'back and forth' on sharing her story. Having gone through this life-changing experience, I applaud her bravery and honesty. I am always keen to share mine because by opening myself up and by being vulnerable and brutally honest, I hope I can show the solidarity Jessie speaks of, and maybe even offer a little help to others going through something similar. I also believe that if reading my story gets even one woman to do a breast examination or schedule an appointment, then some good has come out of all I've been through. I can't say it bluntly enough: Checking your boobs could save your life. Hard as it is to write these words, catching breast cancer in its early stages really can be the difference between surviving – and not. Get a tumour removed at an early stage, and there's a far better chance of things going well. In April this year, I reached my fifth year since diagnosis, a not insignificant milestone in my journey, as doctors say that at this stage post treatment, the risk seems to go back down (though the increased risk does not go away completely). More Trending To mark this five-year anniversary, I did a host of fundraising events, including a 'Mighty Hike' along the Cornish coast in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, raising almost £3,000. And, on April 16 itself, I went to the beach – here, where I live, in beautiful north Devon – with my husband and children, and watched the waves lap against the shore. I also hugged them all hard. Very, very hard. View More » I hope and wish that Jessie J will get to do the same. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Women who have a miscarriage in West Virginia could be prosecuted MORE: The words I wish I could say to my 17-year-old closeted self MORE: I'm on benefits – landlords refuse to rent to me Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
