New mum urges people to 'know your body' after breast cancer diagnosis
Jessica Day was a happy new mum to a baby boy when she found a lump in her breast.
Now she has spoken bravely about her diagnosis with secondary breast cancer and her journey so far with the disease, to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place in October.
Jessica wants people to know the importance of regularly checking your breasts but also to be aware of the other signs and symptoms. She is also urging people to act fast if they are concerned, even if they are anxious to know the outcome.
Jessica, who is 30, said she first noticed some changes to her breasts while breastfeeding, but thought they might be hormonal. It wasn’t until she found a lump that she became more concerned.
She said: “I always thought that I regularly checked my breasts but looking back now I didn’t really check enough.
“I’d not long had a baby and was breastfeeding so even though I noticed some changes in my breast, it happened really rapidly and I put it down to hormonal changes and breastfeeding.
“I’d had skin thickening and noticed one of my breasts was bigger than the other but I didn’t think much of it as your body does change when you have a baby.”
It was in November last year when Jessica first noticed a lump while showering.
She said: “I was washing in the shower and I felt it, it was kind of at an angle so I struggled to find it again.
“That was the first time I felt a lump and I knew I had to phone the GP right away.
“After speaking with the doctor I was referred to the breast clinic where I had an ultrasound, mammogram and a biopsy.”
Jessica said it was a bit of a blur, but while her family tried to remain positive, she knew from early on she had to be realistic and confront what might be happening.
She said: “My family told me to be positive and I wanted to for them but even without the diagnosis I knew in myself what I was going to be dealing with. I know it seems strange but I was trying to gear myself up for what was coming.
“When I went for my first appointment (before my diagnosis) the doctor told me then that although he couldn’t be certain without the test results, from what he had seen he thought it was breast cancer.
“I was thankful for that. There was no cloak and dagger. It gave me time to come to terms with it and prepare myself for the test results.”
On 10 January, Jessica was told she has secondary breast cancer, which had spread to her bones.
She said: “Of course they are words you never want to hear. I was in shock and upset, so upset for myself and my family, but I wanted to fight.
“I had looked into it and researched as much as I could trying to get ahead as much as I could so I could know what to expect.
“The plan was to start with eight rounds of chemotherapy and then have a mastectomy before having radiotherapy.”
Jessica said she knew that she had to do whatever it took to get better, but she wasn’t prepared for how unwell she would be going through treatment.
She said: “You never really know what it’s going to be like and I just wanted to get started but in honesty it was awful.
“I had a goal in mind to beat the cancer and to get better and for me I was doing the treatment to feel like I was doing something about it and taking back that control but it was so tough, there were some really, really bad days.
“It seems strange but as horrible as the treatment is, the idea of it coming to an end is even more daunting because you feel helpless against the cancer.”
For Jessica, one of the hardest parts of her cancer diagnosis is the impact it has had on her home life, but she has also used that as her motivation.
She said: “If I sat and thought about it I would probably just cry but when you’ve got a young family you have to get up and get on with it which is a blessing in some ways. The support from my family and friends has been amazing and the staff at Royal Derby Hospital have been a lifeline to me, I cannot thank them enough.”
Jessica has candidly opened up about her journey in the hope of raising awareness and she has a very strong message she wants to share.
She said: “This really can happen to anyone and it is important to remember it’s not just about finding a lump – there are other symptoms and signs that people need to look out for.
“I know it’s a cliché but I wish I knew then what I know now.
“You need to check yourself regularly so you know what your body is like and what is normal and abnormal for you and you need to trust in your body, if something has gone on for a long time get it checked.
“I had really bad shoulder pains about 18 months before my diagnosis and I had no idea it was cancer, when I got the diagnosis it turned out that the cancer had spread there.
“A lump is something you never want to find, and cancer is a diagnosis you never want to hear, but it is better to take action, so please please check yourself regularly.”
Jessica is currently undergoing treatment at Royal Derby Hospital and will start radiotherapy soon.