Gift may have saved Emma’s life
WOMAN FELT A LUMP IN HER BREAST DURING MASSAGE GIVEN AS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT
A mum-of-one has told of how a 30th birthday gift may have saved her life after it helped her find a cancerous lump.
Emma Herrington, from Washington, was given a voucher for a massage by colleagues for her 30th birthday last October.
She used the voucher in February, when she made a discovery which would change her life.
Emma said: “During the massage I felt a lump.
“It was quite hidden and in a tricky position that I never would have felt as part of a normal breast examination.
“It was complete fluke that I felt it during the massage, but my instinct told me immediately that something wasn’t right.”
Emma, a head of year at Whickham School and Sports College, in Gateshead, immediately booked an appointment with her GP, and a later biopsy confirmed she had cancer.
She was diagnosed with stage three triple negative breast cancer, and told that she also carried a faulty mutation of the BRAC1 gene, significantly increasing her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Emma added: “I’m just at thebeginningofthejourneyof what carrying this gene really meansandtheimpactitmight haveonmylife,buthavebegun counselling at the Centre for Life in Newcastle to help and havedecidedthatIwillhavethe double mastectomy after my chemo finishes to reduce my risk of the cancer returning.”
The lump was revealed to be 18mm in size, and had not spread.
Following chemotherapy and the mastectomy, she will not need to have radiotherapy treatment. Mum Christine is accompanying her on all appointments.
A group of Emma’s friends organised a coffee morning, which raised more than £3,000, and the money was split between a number of different charities, including Cancer Research UK.
They also bought her wig from Kitui Hair Salon, in Sunderland.
Emma is now encouraging women to sign up to Race for Life, which raises millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner.
She added: “I want to use Race for Life as a positive example for my son of what can happen when women come together and support each other and that not everything about cancer is scary.
“By sharing my story I want to be able to help raise awareness and do my bit to get the message out there.
“Idon’tthinkI’maheroand don’t want to be a victim, but I do want to show that we need to talk about cancer and make sure we are aware of it so that if wespotsomethingwecangetto the doctor as soon as possible.”
Upcoming events are in Durham and Hartlepool on Sunday, July 1, Chester-leStreet on July 7, and Newcas- tle on July 14 and 15.
Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman, said: “Crucial cancer research is being funded right now thanks to women, just like Emma, taking part in Race for Life.
“By following her lead, and signinguptoRaceforLife,womencanmakearealdifferencein the fight against cancer.”