Hello, my name is Tara, and this is my story.

In August 2024, I was invited to attend a routine breast screening appointment. I had no concerning symptoms and felt absolutely fine. I was 54 at the time. This was my second mammogram invitation, my first being 3 years earlier, after turning 50.

I had the mammogram on a Saturday which was straightforward and carried out by a professional and kind radiographer. Yes, it can be a bit uncomfortable and awkward but really nothing to be concerned about and only takes a few minutes. A few minutes that could save your life!

A couple of weeks later, I was called back for some further tests. I really wasn’t that worried, even though, I have reason to perhaps be on a higher radar. My mum had breast cancer at the age of 40. She later developed secondary breast cancer and for 10 years lived on and off with the symptoms and various treatments, including chemotherapy. She eventually died of the disease at the age of 72.

About 12 years ago, I found a lump in my breast which thankfully turned out to be a harmless cyst. I had it aspirated but was told it could come back, so even though my mum was in the back of my mind, I honestly thought, if it’s anything, it would be another cyst.

I was wrong! The radiologist carried out a biopsy on a lump the mammogram had identified. I asked if it looked like a cyst…’ it’s definitely not a cyst but whatever it is, it’s small and we can deal with it’, came the reply. Hmmm, I thought, that doesn’t sound good!

When I was called back to receive my results, I thought I had prepared myself for the possibility of bad news. The biopsy had confirmed it was cancer, a small but invasive ductal carcinoma. The words, ‘you do have cancer’, even when you are half expecting those very words, come as a shock. They were said with great empathy and kindness, but facts are facts and sometimes those facts are devastating to hear, however they’re said.

When I reflected later, I felt more for the consultant, having to give that kind of news. When I sat looking around the waiting room, I realised there were many people sitting around me, waiting for news and that one consultant had to impart the news to all of them and then no doubt, repeat the process several times a week! With bad news comes sadness and despair. What do you do with that, when you know your words will devastate someone and how do you channel it when you have to do it so often, I thought? I concluded it must be why these very clever, dedicated people, choose a career in medicine, not to give bad news, albeit part of the job but to find solutions, fix those in despair and provide hope to those that think there is little hope to be found. And that’s the message I received loud and clear that day, I had cancer BUT...‘it’s been caught early and we can fix it’. My despair was quickly followed by hope and resolution.

And they did fix me, it took two operations and I’m still to have some preventative radiotherapy and tablets, but I have been told, they got the offending cancer, and my lymph nodes show no sign of spread, the best news you can hear. I really am very lucky and forever grateful to those very clever, dedicated people.

And why do I feel that way? Because I turned up! I didn’t put it off or ignore it. Had I decided it wasn’t worth it, effectively if I wasn’t worth it, where would I be a year down the road? We’re all worth it, so please turn up! My mum always told me it’s rude not to!

NHS Routine breast screening was introduced in 1988 in the UK and currently, the 50-70 age group are offered them. So, I’m lucky, lucky that my breast cancer developed in my 50’s, lucky that I’m in the age group that gets an invite for screening and very lucky I walked into the Primrose Centre when I did. That’s all I had to do, make that small effort for myself and turn up! The Primrose team did the rest, they gave me my life back, a life I never thought was in danger at the time!

According to NHS England, 2.98 million women were invited for a routine mammogram during 2022/23 and just over 64% turned up, that’s a third that didn’t! 18,942 women (1% of those that did turn up), were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer consequently.

If 100% of those women had turned up, those statistics suggest, another 10,500 women may have breast cancer but don’t know it, because they didn’t turn up. Breast cancer may be one of the most common cancers in women, but it is also one of the most treatable, especially if found early! Turn up ladies, and walk through the door when you’re invited, it could be the luckiest door you ever walk through!