Latest news with #cancersupport
BBC News
a day ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
TT bike sculptures raising 'vital funds' for Manx Cancer charity
An art project featuring a variety of decorated motorcycle sculptures on show at the TT Grandstand is helping to raise "vital funds" for a new cancer support Cancers Support Group's Wheelie Good Cause appeal created 15 "legends" bikes, which spectators have been able to view and take photos with at the 2025 Stokes from the charity said fans had thought the life-size models of racing motorcycles were "amazing, and they don't believe how good they look close up".She said an auction planned for Senior Race Day would instead be taking place at the 2026 TT Races to allow for more money to be raised via the scheme. "We've been named as the official charity until the next event, so we're able to fundraise for another year before they're auctioned off to the highest bidder," Ms Stokes said."It also allows us more time to showcase the full power and story of the 15 stunning sculptures in our legends series, in which each model has been inspired by an iconic TT bike from the past 50 years," she added. The exhibit, which honours TT riders and machines from the past, features sculptures recognising the careers and efforts of the teams that support the Stokes said there was also "a marshal's bike, because they're are legends". She said the bikes recognising 26-time Isle of Man TT winner Joey Dunlop's career had "been very popular". "Everybody's got their own favourite."Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond stopped by, and riders such as John McGuinness also went to see the sculpture that marked his 2007 Honda machine. Construction of the £2m Mannin Cancers Macmillan Support Centre, which is based on Maggie's Centres in the UK, began in February and is set to be completed by August."All of the volunteers are so grateful for all of the support we've received in person at the Grandstand," Ms Stokes funding raised will make a "massive difference", she added."It will all help towards the running cost were going to have with the new centre."The charity has been working with the Isle of Man TT races team and the Department for Enterprise on the project. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The barely there 'freckle' on 'healthy' 26 year-old's chest that was killer skin cancer
A 26 year-old woman has urged others to beware of the dangers of innocent-looking blemishes, after a 'single dot' on her chest turned out to be deadly melanoma skin cancer. Leah Alexis Adams, originally from Ohio, spent countless hours tanning in the summer and often skipped sunscreen, but thought the disease could 'never touch' her. Yet what she believed to be a freckle turned out to be one of the fastest-spreading cancers, resulting in the removal of large chunks of her chest and armpit. In a recent video posted on her Instagram page, she shared the unsuspecting mole with her 11,000 followers. 'Turns out, melanoma doesn't care how good you think you look—it just shows up and tries to wreck your life,' she said in another clip. 'So yeah…learn from my mistakes, not your biopsy results.' Around 17,500 new melanoma skin cancer cases are diagnosed in the UK every year, with some 2,300 are killed by the disease. In the US, it is estimated that new diagnoses reach over 100,000 a year. It wasn't until Ms Adams' father Gary was diagnosed with early stage melanoma in 2019, that she decided to undergo a random mole check with a dermatologist. The doctor flagged the unsuspecting-looking mole on her chest and removed it for testing. 'The doctors stand close to you, scanning you from head to toe, asking questions about your history of sun exposure, family skin cancer history, etc,' she previously told a cancer support community. 'The questions about tanning beds and sunscreen came, and I told them exactly what they didn't want to hear. 'I didn't wear sunscreen, I used tanning beds often, my dad and my grandfather had skin cancer.' The results of a biopsy revealed the devastating truth—Ms Adams had melanoma that was bordering on stage 1B. Unlike stage 1A, this means the lesion is ulcerated, leaving an open wound. Experts say melanoma at this stage are far more likely to spread to other areas of the body. Weeks later she underwent surgery to remove the growth, as well as healthy tissue beside her breasts and several glands under her armpit, to check for spread. 'I was not fully prepared for the extensive amount of time this surgery would take,' she said. 'My surgery was an all-day process with prep, surgery, and recovery. I was put under full anesthesia with stitches in my chest and glue stitches under my arm. After the surgery, I was in a lot of pain.' Two weeks later she got the good news that doctors hadn't found cancer in her lymph nodes, meaning it hadn't spread to other organs. She now has to undergo skin checks every three to four months and urged others to undergo the vital test at least once a year. While this means any sign of spread will be caught early, it means moles are 'constantly' being cut out of her. 'I'm barely thirty and have scars all over my body,' she said. Reflecting on her diagnosis she said: 'Did I give myself cancer from not protecting my skin and not taking care of my health enough? 'If I didn't do that skin check, that mole could have grown into something life-threatening. I might not be here today.' Ms Adams' tale comes as cases of melanoma skin have been subject to an alarming rise in the UK. Data released last year revealed diagnoses have increased by almost a third in a decade. Older age groups have had the highest rises in sun-linked skin cancer rates, with a 57 per cent increase in those over the age of 80 in the decade to 2019. The main warning sign of melanoma skin cancer is a new mole or a change in an existing mole anywhere on your body. Most common areas are often those exposed to the sun, but in rarer cases it can affect the eyes, soles of the feet, and palms of hands or genitals. The NHS says to look out for moles with an uneven shape or edges, a mix of colours, large in size and that change over time.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'I still can't describe what that felt like to be told I had breast cancer'
AS an Intensive Care nurse, Eimear Watson from Enniskillen wasn't concerned when she felt some unusual tissue in her breast, as a previous checkup at the breast clinic had been all clear. Just weeks later, realising she was the only woman left in the waiting room after a mammogram and a series of rapid tests, the news of her breast cancer came as a massive shock. The 37-year-old mum of two bravely faced her months of gruelling treatment and gradually went back to work. It wasn't until three months after this, that all the bottled-up emotion and fears for her husband and two young children, brought her to a standstill. She was overwhelmed with anxiety and turned to Cancer Focus Northern Ireland for counselling. Eimear is sharing her experience to support Cancer Focus Northern Ireland's new Therapeutic Cancer Support Centre opening in Enniskillen this week (28 May), offering direct local access in the South West to the kind of counselling, advice and support which has allowed her to get her life back on track. "As a nurse and Ward Manager in the ICU at the South West Acute Hospital, I thought I knew what to worry about," she said. "So when I noticed a small thickening in my breast in 2023, I brushed it off. I'd been to the breast clinic back in 2015, and it was all clear then. I told myself it was nothing. "Eventually, though, I made an appointment with my GP and got referred for an ultrasound at the breast clinic. I wasn't remotely concerned. "On September 15, 2023, I drove myself to Altnagelvin, more focused on the shopping I'd planned afterwards in Derry than the appointment itself. I only told my husband, Paul, so he'd know where I was. "At the clinic, I put on the pink gown like it was any routine visit. The doctor said they'd start with an ultrasound because of my age. It wasn't until the radiologist said I also needed a mammogram that I began to worry. Something in her tone made time slow down. "Back in the ultrasound room, things escalated quickly. Suddenly, they were talking about a lump, biopsies, and preliminary results. I was told I'd have to wait a few hours. Sitting alone in the waiting room, I remembered a colleague once saying, 'If you're the last one left at the breast clinic, that's not a good sign.' And there I was: alone." Eventually, Eimear's Consultant and Breast Nurse Specialist called her in to deliver the devastating news. "They were the last ones still working. That's when I heard the words: 'You have breast cancer', she said. "I still don't have the words to describe what that felt like. "The following weeks were a blur of appointments and waiting. And I hated the waiting. I'm not a patient person by nature, and all I wanted was to get on with treatment. My surgery was scheduled for 3rd October to remove the lump, and I was told I'd get results ten days later. "I counted every single day. Then, the night before I was due to hear back, I got a call to say there was a delay. It would be another week. That was my lowest moment. I stayed in my pyjamas all day and cried." However, Eimear knew she had to keep going. "Finally, at the end of October, the results came in: the tumour has been completely removed and the surrounding tissue was clear. I was ecstatic. But I also learned the cancer was more aggressive than they had expected. "Oddly, that made things clearer for me. I'm very practical, and I knew I wanted to do everything possible to stop it coming back," she recollected. "So I started four rounds of chemotherapy, followed by two weeks of radiotherapy. My first chemo session was on Paul's birthday. All I could think was: 'In sickness and in health', right? "I stayed at work right up until surgery and couldn't wait to return after. Work was my distraction - it kept me from thinking about what I was really afraid of. The hardest part wasn't the treatment. It was the thoughts about my family that haunted me." Ultimately, it was her children and husband that helped see her through this tough time. "I'd look at my children, Ollie (6) and Chloe (3), and wonder how their lives would be without me," she continued. "I worried about Paul raising them on his own. I thought of every milestone I might miss: birthdays, Christmases, holidays, exams, weddings. Even now, I can't think about my children and cancer in the same sentence without getting emotional. "Radiotherapy finished on February 28. I had lost my hair, spent countless hours and miles on the road between Enniskillen and Altnagelvin, and faced years of hormone therapy with Tamoxifen and Zoladex. But I felt like I was finally through the worst." On April 15 last year, Eimear went back to work and dived back into the chaos of everyday life - being a nurse, a mum, a wife, and even riding her horse again. However, deep down, something didn't feel right. "By July, I looked fine to everyone else," he said. "My hair was growing back, and I had my routine again. But I was consumed with a new fear: what if the cancer came back? The anxiety was relentless and brought me to a standstill. "Thankfully, my Breast Nurse Specialist referred me to Cancer Focus NI's counselling service. That's when I met Helen, my counsellor based in Enniskillen. "She helped me see the positives again and shift my thinking. She even encouraged me to go on a Cancer Focus NI retreat in Donegal. "That retreat changed everything. It was a weekend with other women who had been through breast cancer - just like me. We shared stories, tears, laughter. For the first time, I could talk openly without worrying I was putting a burden on my friends or family. "That's why I'm so passionate about the new Cancer Focus NI Therapeutic Cancer Support Centre in Enniskillen. It's a service I wish I'd had when I was going through treatment."
