Thankful for early diagnosis

BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR STEPHANIE TURNER CHATS TO FIONA MAGENNIS

WHEN Stephanie Turner (pictured) first noticed a change in her breast she put it down to normal body changes with age and put her concerns to the back of her mind as she headed off on holidays. The niggling worry continued however, and after returning home she googled symtoms of breast cancer and realised she needed to get the changes checked out.

Her fears were confirmed just weeks later when she was given a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Eight years on, and having been dealt a double blow when her granddaughter Alice Turner was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at just 18 months, Stephanie is happy and healthy again and thrilled that Alice is also cancer free having undergone immunotherapy in America.

As Ireland marks breast cancer awareness month in October, Stephanie is thankful her cancer was caught early and for the huge advances that have been made in breast cancer treatment in recent years.

Recalling the weeks surrounding her own diagnosis, Stephanie said: ‘I’d been feeling absolutely fine, I didn’t feel sick or tired or anything but I was beginning to notice a change in my left breast. I never ever felt a lump so in someways that made me think there’s nothing wrong here because when you think of breast cancer you immediately think of a lump. Whereas for me the change was in my nipple, it was starting to turn inwards.

‘I just thought it’s probably me getting older, your body changes. I put it to the back of my mind, we were going on holidays to England. I hadn’t said anything to anyone. I thought: ‘ Next time I look at it it’ll be fine. But of course it was on my mind over the holiday so when we came home I googled ‘ breast cancer what to look for’. I know they say don’t look at google but we all do. I saw that an inverted nipple was one of the many possible signs of breast cancer so I was worried at that stage.

‘ That’s when I told my husband Dave and he said I think you need to go and get it checked out.’

After a visit to her GP, Stephanie was immediately referred to Beaumont for tests.

Although it took just two weeks for her appointment at the hospital, she admits the waiting ‘seemed like a lifetime’.

‘You are waiting and wondering and wondering more and more as the days go on. Although I tried not to it was very difficult not to think about it.’

Stephanie was given a mammogran, ultrasound and biopsy and three days later received a call to attend a clinic that day. ‘ They told me that I had a growth on the breast behind the nipple.

‘When you get the news it really is a huge mix of emotions because it’s not what you want to hear. It’s every woman’s worst nightmare. Suddenly your world is turned upside down in that moment because you are just living a normal life and then everything changes in an instant.’

Stephanie said it was ‘ hard to take in’ all the information she was given at that point but remembers Professor Hill telling her it looked like they had caught it early.

He said: ‘I think you’ve still got a long life to lead’. Of course it was a huge relief to hear that because I didn’t know what was going on there or what stage it would be at.’

Stephanie said her breast cancer nurse, Nadine, was there when she received her diagnosis and was with her every step of the way from then on, always on hand to answer any questions, concerns or worries. ‘She was like my rock at the time.’

As she processed the news over the weekend, Stephanie consulted the Breast Cancer section of the Irish Cancer Society’s website.

‘I went on to the Irish Cancer Society site and there was a whole list of questions to ask for anyone who has just been diagnosed. It was such a great help. I had been involved with the Irish Cancer Society for years but that was the first time I had to use it.’

As the news sunk in, Stephanie began to share her diagnosis with family and friends.

Six weeks after undergoing her masectomy, Stephanie started chemotherapy in October and treatment continued until the day before New Year’s Eve.

‘It was very very tough, very tiring and I was very down in myself. Losing a breast was difficult obviously but then your hair starts going, it’s another part of the body disappearing your identity is gone.’

Stephanie said her friends were a fantastic support to her at this time and they took her to Dublin for lunch and a shopping expedition to try on wigs and various hats and scarves.

‘ The first week of chemo was always the toughest, then by the second week I’d be feeling a bit better. By the third week I’d be a good bit better and then you’d have to start all over again. It was very difficult for my husband and my sons too and my family in England wondering what was going on.’

The chemotherapy was followed by five weeks of radiotherapy in Dublin.

Just as frightening as starting treatment was the unknown once it was all finished, said Stephanie. ‘It is quite scary because you’re in this protective bubble of hospital visits and appointments and then you are just on your own. A lot of people find that very difficult and I did for a while.

‘At that point I went to the Gary Kelly Centre and that helped me get through the next stage; going for relaxation, relfexology and talking to the breast care nurse there Aileen, who is absolutely wonderful, so that got me through the end of that year.

Life moved on and Stephanie was just getting back to a sense of normality when the family was dealt another devastating blow as her granddaughter, Alice, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in August 2013.

‘ That was incredibly hard for me and of course for Lyndsey and Paul and for all of us,’ said Stephanie.

‘ To see a child going through it all, you would just sway places with her and take all that treatment yourself in a second. It was horrible. Looking at what my own son and his wife had to go through with her was so hard but you know I think the children are amazing.

‘ They don’t get depressed, they don’t get down about it. It’s not easy, it’s bloody awful what they have to go through but they just get on with it.’

Thankfully, Alice has been cancer free for two and a half years and her most recent tests in America show she remains in remission and free of the disease.

‘It’s wonderful to see her now, so fit and healthy. She loves dancing and I think she’s going to be on the stage one day but I would say that, I’m biased being her granny!

‘Having cancer does change your perception, you have a different outlook on life, you don’t worry about the silly little things anymore.

‘You live for each day, for each moment. It makes you a totally different person,’ said Stephanie. ‘You realise how lucky you are to come out the other side.’

YOUR WORLD IS JUST TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IN THAT MOMENT ... EVERYTHING CHANGES IN AN INSTANT