A MUM diagnosed with incurable breast cancer fears she won’t see her little girl grow up, after she mistook her symtoms for the flu.
Kelly Bawcombe was washing herself in the shower one evening in March when she felt a small, grape-sized lump in her right armpit.
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The 39-year-old believed the mass to be a sign of her being “under the weather” but when it grew to the size of a golf ball in two weeks, she was prompted to see her GP.
There, she was immediately referred to the breast clinic where she had a mammogram and underwent two biopsies.
Two days later, Kelly was told she had breast cancer, just like Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding.
Doctors told her the disease had already spread to her bones and liver.
Read more on breast cancer
The mum-of-one said she had no symptoms in the months leading up to her diagnosis – and believed the armpit lump to raised lymph nodes as a result of flu.
But she urges other woman to check themselves properly when in the shower.
Kelly, from Watford, Hertfordshire, said: “If I could give any advice, I would tell people to get rid of any body puffs and wash yourself with your hands so you can feel any lumps or masses on you.
“The nurse said there’s just been an influx of young people with breast cancer. You never think it’ll happen to you at this age in your 30s. I never thought it would be something this serious.
“I say to anyone now, don’t dismiss it, go to your GP and get a biopsy straight away.”
Kelly hopes to see her seven-year-old daughter Megan grow up despite being told she has incurable cancer.
She said: “When it gets to stage four, it’s classed as not curable.
“We hope to get to a stage where there’s no active cancer in the body, it’s not growing anymore but you’d still be living with cancer.
“I’m under a palliative care team but it’s about managing the symptoms.”
“My aim is to see my daughter marry, be happy, and live a long life.”
Kelly recalled the day she was showering and noticed a lump – which, in relation to cancer, can occur in the armpit or collarbone as well as the breast.
She says: “As I was showering myself, I noticed a rubbery sort of lump in my right armpit where you would shave.
“It was around the size of a grape, it wasn’t painful to touch at all.
“I immediately thought ‘oh I must be under the weather’ and I just had raised lymph nodes. I thought I was just coming down with something like a virus or a flu.
“I decided to take some vitamin C and vitamin D in case I was coming down with something.
“I thought it would just blow over, then two weeks later it grew to the size of a golf ball.
“It actually turned out to be a pretty life-changing shower.”
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Kelly was referred onto the breast cancer pathway where biopsies and a mammogram confirmed the mum had breast cancer.
Kelly said: “I got a call two days after my biopsies from a Macmillan nurse asking me to come in with a loved one. I knew at that point.
“I went for a full body CT scan and was told the cancer has spread to my liver and bones too, which is classed as stage four.
“I kept thinking ‘why me?’. I was a surgical nurse for years and looked after breast cancer patients for 15 years. I had no other symptoms.
“I have no one in the family who has breast cancer on either side but they said they’re seeing more and more young people with triple negative breast cancer with no family history.
“The worst runs through your head and what’s the life expectancy.
“You think of Sarah Harding from Girls’ Aloud who had breast cancer. You go through a dark road.
“It is mind over matter. The way you think, if you remain positive, I think you do last longer.
“My daughter is my drive. My support network has been amazing.”
Kelly has already undergone three cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on three areas of her body and is due to begin immunotherapy this week.
The mum is now urging others to check for lumps and bumps in their breasts and armpits – and ask their GP for a biopsy if they’re concerned.
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What type of cancer did Sarah Harding have?
GIRLS ALOUD star Sarah Harding lost her battle to breast cancer in 2021, age 39.
She revealed that she dismissed a lump on her breast as a cyst during the pandemic in 2020, disguising her “denial” as Covid fear and concern for overrun hospitals.
But it was only when her skin began to bruise that she sought medical help, her organs were already failing and doctors had no choice but to put her in a medically induced coma.
Speaking in her new book Hear Me Out, extracts of which have been shared in The Times, Sarah said: “At first I thought it was just a cyst. The trouble was the pain was getting worse.
“It got so bad that I couldn’t sleep in a bed. Eventually my skin started to bruise. By now I was terrified.
“One day I woke up realising I’d been in denial. Yes there was a pandemic but it was almost as if I’d been using that as an excuse not to face up to the fact that something was very wrong.”
Symptoms of breast cancer in women
The main symptoms which can emerge include:
- A lump, or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- A change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (may look like orange peel) or redness (may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
- A change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts
- Nipple discharge (if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it
- A change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema)
- Pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away – breast pain that comes and goes is usually not a symptom of breast cancer
Some of these symptoms, including breast lumps, are very common and can be caused by other conditions.
Having the symptoms does not definitely mean you have breast cancer, but it’s important to get checked by a GP.
If your symptoms are caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it’s easier to treat.
It’s important to check your breasts regularly so you know what’s normal for you. This makes it easier to notice any changes in the size, look or feel of your breasts.
