i Love My new nipples!
Now Katie feels like a brandnew woman
Snuggling on the sofa with my son Marshall, now 9, I put on a film. ‘It’s just the two of us,’ I smiled.
My youngest, Phoebe, 6, was in bed, while my hubby Martin, 34, was at work.
So I was making the most of precious mum-and-son time.
Suddenly, I felt a tickle on my chest...
A strand of hair had fallen on to my right boob.
Immediately, I reached down and brushed it off.
But as I did, I felt something that made my blood run cold.
Large lump
Right on the top of my breast was a rock-hard lump the size of a two-pence piece. My stomach did somersaults as I felt it over and over again, frozen to the spot. I couldn’t believe how big it was.
How could I not have noticed this? The moment Martin got home, I rushed to tell him. ‘I’ve found a lump on my boob,’ I blurted out, almost in tears. His face dropped as he felt it, too, although he tried to reassure me. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing, but get it checked out just in case,’ he told me.
I barely slept that night, consumed with worry.
It was January 2014 and I was only 26.
Surely too young for cancer? The next morning, I got an emergency appointment with my GP.
She felt the lump and said it probably wasn’t anything to worry about, but that she’d refer me to the Breast Clinic, just to be sure.
Luckily, I only had to wait five days to be seen and to have an ultrasound.
‘I’m 98 per cent sure it’s just fatty tissue – nothing to worry about,’ the specialist said.
But she agreed to do a biopsy to rule out any possibility that it could be cancer.
I was told to expect the results in about six weeks.
But just a few days later, the phone rang. It was the consultant at the hospital.
‘Mrs Roberts, could you come in to see us straightaway?’ she asked.
She wouldn’t tell me any more information over the phone, but I burst into tears. I knew it was cancer. Why else would they call so soon?
And I was right.
Seconds after I’d sat down for my appointment, the consultant confirmed my worst fears.
‘I’m so sorry, it is cancer – and it’s stage three, which means it’s quite advanced,’ she told me. The room started to spin as I took in the news.
Luckily, Martin was at my side, squeezing my hand.
So here I was, in my mid20s with breast cancer
Too young
Even the consultant admitted her surprise at my diagnosis – she was convinced I was too young for it to be anything that serious.
So that was it. Here I was, in my mid-20s, suffering from
aggressive breast cancer. It hardly felt real.
I left the hospital in a daze, but a week later I was back to have my right breast and lymph nodes removed after a further ultrasound revealed the cancer had spread there as well.
Then I was put on an intense schedule of chemotherapy for the next six months.
It was gruelling, and it was made worse when all my hair and even my eyebrows fell out. But all I had to do was look at the kids to know that I had to beat cancer, whatever it took. Once the chemo was over, I opted to have my left breast removed as a precaution, after tests revealed I carry the BRCA2 gene, which puts me at much higher risk of breast cancer. I thought I’d be able to cope with having my breasts removed, but it really hit me hard.
I lost all my confidence and femininity, made worse by the fact my hair was taking ages to regrow after the chemo.
So I opted to have reconstructive surgery in June 2015.
I was thrilled with the results, but there were still two things missing – my nipples! Although I had my shape back, my naked breasts looked so strange.
I wouldn’t let Martin see me without a bra.
Amazing result
Then, one night, I discovered the work of a lady called Claire Louise Willis through a page on Facebook.
She’s a permanent make-up artist who gives up her spare time to tattoo new nipples for breast-cancer survivors – free of charge!
I got in touch to tell her my story.
‘I’d love to help – let’s book you in,’ she quickly replied.
So, in April this year, I spent two hours in her studio having my nipples tattooed back on.
Because of my breast reconstruction, I have no sensation in my boobs, so didn’t feel any pain.
When it was done, and Claire Louise showed me the result, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
They looked so realistic. It was amazing!
Now I’m still taking hormone therapy as part of my treatment, but I am well on the road to beating cancer.
And, thanks to Claire, I finally feel like me again.