Cancer was not going to to ruin pal’s wedding day
Race for Life starter Samantha refused to reveal shock diagnosis
A Menstrie mum diagnosed with breast cancer the day before her best friend’s wedding kept the crushing news to herself to avoid ruining the big day.
Bridesmaid Samantha Currie was told about her diagnosis in a phone call as she prepared to spend the night with life-long friend Kara Rollo on the eve of her wedding.
But she swallowed back tears and refused to let it overshadow the event.
Looking back at the photographs of the ceremony she sees tears in her eyes but also genuine happiness for her much-loved friend.
She eventually told her about the cancer three days later and Kara has been by her side ever since.
Samantha - devoted mum to Emma, 12, and Tom, two - shared her story to raise awareness of early detection and highlight the need to raise vital funds for cancer research.
She was a busy P7 teacher when she discovered a lump in her right breast last October and made it a priority to contact her GP.
Within two weeks she was at Forth Valley Royal hospital having a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy.
She was at home when the phonecall from the hospital came through, on October 14, which changed her life.
Samantha said: “I’ll never forget that phonecall.
“They asked me to come into the hospital for an appointment with the doctor on Monday and advised that I bring someone with me. The second they asked me to bring someone with me I thought that wasn’t a good sign. I pleaded with the nurse to tell me what the tests had shown, explaining that I couldn’t go through the whole weekend not knowing.
“She asked me to get a pen and paper then started explaining what the tests had shown.
“The tests showed I had breast cancer. It was only when she said that I’d need chemotherapy treatment that the reality started to kick in.
“I started to cry but then stopped myself.
“I was getting ready to stay overnight with my best friend before her wedding day and was the only bridesmaid doing this so I had to be there. As hard as it was it was the right thing to do.
“If I cried now it would open the floodgates and I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
Samantha broke the cancer news to her husband John but the couple told no one else until after the wedding.
She eventually told her friend Kara in a phonecall three days later.
Samantha said: “Kara and I are so close.
“She said she couldn’t believe how I’d managed to keep it a secret. I think she understood it had been so important to me that I didn’t burst her happiness bubble.
“We talk all the time and she’s been a great support all the way through cancer.”
Doctors explained that Samantha had triple negative breast cancer and she started on chemotherapy treatments, every three weeks.
Losing her long hair was a tough challenge as well as dealing with side effects like sickness.
Explaining to her children what was happening was vital too.
Samantha said: “My son is too young to know what’s going on but my daughter Emma has been amazing.
“I’ve said to Emma she’s being so strong which is great but I’ve told her it’s okay not to be okay too. She hugged me and said, ‘I know mum but I’m just being brave because you’re so brave’.
“We talk about everything. Emma is so caring. Now she’ll text me from school on the days I have a hospital appointment to say good luck.
“My hair was falling out so much that after the second chemotherapy treatment I asked my husband to shave the rest of it off. It felt like a chance to take back control from cancer by deciding when I wanted to lose my hair. When my daughter saw me bald for the first time she just hugged me and told me I looked beautiful.”
Samantha added: “My children mean the world to me and have kept a smile on my face even during the tough times.