A Croydon mother of two who was diagnosed with breast cancer on the even of the first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK is urging women to check themselves regularly.

Melissa, 49, from Croydon said she wants every woman to get 'intimate' with their breasts this October…and every month after as Macmillan Cancer Support marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Melissa was shocked to find a small lump by chance, and shared her story in an effort to encourage others to self-examine more often and to not put off that all important call to the GP.

"At the beginning of February 2020, whilst lying on the bed watching a bit of telly after work, I found a lump. I'm not sure why I even checked, but I must have felt uncomfortable.

"I left it a few days and did some googling and decided it must be hormonal…nothing to worry about. Except I did worry. In the back of my mind I remembered a nurse at the local surgery showing me with a prosthetic boob how to self-examine. I recalled her telling me it can feel like a small hard lump like a lemon pip. Mine felt like a lemon pip," she said.

Your Local Guardian:

After her telling her husband and several friends, Melissa decided on best advice to go to the doctor and check it out just in case, who scheduled her for a mammogram.

"The next day driving home from work, I took a call from the hospital. The consultant had looked at my mammogram and wanted me to come back for further tests. The second I hung up, I cried. It was all becoming too real," she said.

"For me, my diagnosis was serious, but I'd caught it in its early stages. It was according to my consultant 'very treatable and curable'. So, I took those words and ran with it... Reading the Macmillan online community forum was very comforting too. You realise all us ‘breasties’ have the same worries and fears," she added.

Since then, Melissa has undergone chemotherapy and surgery to remove a lumpectomy and 19 lymph nodes. The Croydon mum also took to social media to share her story and received remarkable support for friends and strangers around the world in solidarity.

Your Local Guardian:

Now she's urging everyone to check their breasts regularly to catch any possible signs of cancer as soon as possible.

"If I could say one thing to women out there, it would be to take the time to get to know what your 'normal' is…it can be tricky when you first start to self-check and your breasts can change over the course of a month. So, pick different times throughout the month, get familiar with your normal and check yourself regularly! And don’t bury your head in the sand! If you find something that concerns you, get on to your GP immediately," she said.

Breast cancer accounts for 15 per cent of all new cancer cases in the UK according to Macmillan. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the UK, with more than 54,500 cases diagnosed every year. It is more common in women over 50. Men can also get breast cancer, but this is rare.

Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Services Manager at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust Sarah Pritchard said: "Knowing what changes to look for and when to see your doctor could make a real difference. Don’t be scared if you have symptoms. Get them checked."

Those symptoms include:

  • a lump in the breast
  • a change in the size or shape of the breast, such as swelling in all or part of the breast.
  • dimpling of the skin or thickening in the breast tissue
  • a nipple that’s turned in (inverted)
  • a rash (like eczema) on the nipple
  • discharge or bleeding from the nipple
  • swelling or a lump in the armpit.
  • pain or discomfort in the breast that does not go away