A BRIDE-TO-BE who did not want to waste her GP’s time amid the coronavirus crisis has urged women to Get Checked – after she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer during the lockdown.
Mary Evans, 27, has grade three of the disease but says she would be in even worse trouble if she had not been to her doctor.
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Now she has joined The Sun on Sunday’s Get Checked campaign, along with breast cancer charity CoppaFeel! and breast cancer surgeons, and says to others in the same boat: “Cancer doesn’t wait and the NHS is there for you.”
Digital marketing entrepreneur Mary, who is getting married on May 29 next year, adds: “Breast cancer doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to anyone, and I am proof of that.
“Coronavirus or not, your health is a priority and with cancer, early detection is key. While it can be extremely daunting to feel your boobs and find something, if it’s unusual for you, don’t delay.
“My wedding is now my goal but there is a big mountain to climb before I get there.
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“I just can’t wait to walk down the aisle. It’s going to be a huge celebration — marking our wedding and that we’ve got there.”
Mary, who is engaged to agricultural sales manager Dave Perry, 30, first felt a lump in her left breast in January. She says: “I didn’t check my boobs regularly. I’m from a farming background so I thought, ‘It’s fine, it’s nothing’.
“In February I mentioned it to my fiancé and immediately he said, ‘You really need to get that checked out’.
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“But I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, I will’, but I just didn’t think it was anything sinister and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
March rolled around and the coronavirus pandemic took hold — so she delayed for a few more weeks, not wanting to clog up a stretched NHS.
Mary, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, says: “I saw the shocking cases on TV and I didn’t want to burden my GP with something that didn’t seem to be serious when people were fighting for their lives.”
In February she had a GP consultation by phone and was asked to monitor it for two weeks.
‘I started to cry’
At the end of March, when she called back to confirm the lump was still there, she was at the GP surgery within two hours for an examination.
She was referred to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and two weeks later she had an ultrasound and biopsy by staff in full PPE.
Mary says: “I went into a different room where I was told, ‘It could be good news but it could also be bad news so you have to prepare for either’.
I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god’, and I started crying, but they couldn’t touch or hug me. It was really hard.”
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On May 6, at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford — which is part of the same trust — she went for her results and says: “That’s when they told me I had breast cancer. I felt complete shock. You just don’t believe it’s you or your life.”
Mary was immediately referred to a fertility clinic to preserve her eggs and on June 4 she had surgery, which confirmed she had a 1.6cm aggressive form of breast cancer.
But as it has not spread, her prognosis is positive. She started chemotherapy on July 16.
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She says: “The day I found out I had breast cancer, someone close to me was also diagnosed.
“It shows it can happen to anyone – and my story proves why you must not delay.
“If just one person goes to the doctor because they have heard my story, then that means I’ve achieved what I want to do. I’m proof that the NHS is here for you.”
Breast surgeon Dr Adam Heetun, a member of charity CoppaFeel!’s medical advisory group, says: “If someone notices a lump in the breast or armpit, changes in the shape or appearance of the breast, bleeding from the nipple, changes in the appearance of the nipple or anything that is different or concerning about their breasts, the first thing they should do is speak to their GP without delay.
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"The NHS is open and will continue to be here for you.”
CoppaFeel! spokeswoman Sophie Dopierala adds: “Before the pandemic, we knew from our research that young women would delay visiting their GP due to finding it difficult to get an appointment or through being worried about wasting the doctor’s time.
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“Being proactive is the best form of defence when it comes to breast cancer, so if in doubt still contact your GP and get it checked out — they want to hear from you.”
- CoppaFeel! exists to ensure every young person has the best possible chance of surviving breast cancer. For more information visit coppafeel.org.
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