A Co Fermanagh mum has urged women to get their breasts checked after she was diagnosed with cancer, despite not finding anything unusual herself.
Bridie Traynor was 49 when she was told she had breast cancer in 2019, and the news came as a shock to the Roslea native who had never noticed any changes to her breasts when she self-examined.
After her sister and another local woman had battled the illness, Bridie was encouraged by friends to go and get screened on the Action Cancer Big Bus, which travels to towns across Northern Ireland and screens women outside of the usual NHS screening bracket, for women aged 40-49 and over 70 years.
Read more: NI mum said she owes her life to early screening after breast cancer journey
Bridie enquired about the service when it was coming to her area in 2018 but it was fully booked, so when she heard it was coming to Newtownbutler in 2019, she booked herself a place immediately, still not expecting that anything untoward would be discovered.
She told Belfast Live: "A friend of mine let me know it was coming to Newtownbutler and I booked it straight away but I'll be honest I found nothing when I examined myself.
"So it was a big shock when I got the letter back to say they wanted to send me for further tests, but again they said it was probably nothing.
"But further tests did discover it was breast cancer, it was a really big shock for us all."
The mum-of-six admits her shock was compounded further when doctors told her she would never have discovered the lump herself due to its makeup.
"The doctors told me after that I would never have found it myself as it wasn't a hard lump it was a fuzzy lump as they called it. It was scary, to think I'd have never found it myself."
Bridie underwent a lumpectomy on July 2, her birthday and then underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy which she completed in January 2022.
She is still on treatment in the form of tablets and injections but insists it's a small price to pay to see her children and grandchildren grow up.
"It was a big shock for the entire family, particularly my two youngest children. My youngest boy didn't really say much but my youngest daughter Caitlin, she was really crushed, I think her whole world felt like it was coming apart, she was 12 at that stage.
"But my entire family were fantastic, I couldn't have got through it without them, they were amazing.
"I am so thankful to Action Cancer’s Big Bus for saving my life and I can look forward to celebrating future birthdays and watching my family grow up."
She continued: "To other women, I would just say, just go, go and get screened, and also keep checking yourself and if you find anything or are worried about anything, go see your GP, because you just never know. These things are better the earlier they are detected and my doctor in Derry told me I had it up to six months before it was discovered, so I'm so grateful. The only symptom I had was that I was quite tired but I was doing quite a bit at the time and I thought that was why, but I didn't realise that tiredness was also a sign.
"It's very important to go and get checked because not all breast cancer can be found through self-examination. I was outside the age bracket for NHS screening so I am so grateful to the Action Cancer Big Bus for saving my life.
"I never would have travelled all the way up to Belfast to attend a routine screening so I’m grateful that women like me can access this vital service in their own communities. Please support this wonderful charity in whatever way you can.”
SuperValu and Centra stores across NI are aiming to raise at least £120, which is how much it costs Action Cancer to provide one free mammogram to women in Northern Ireland. Last year, the service provided 1,950 breast screenings to women aged 40-49 and over 70 years – outside of NHS screening age.
From Monday 10th to Friday 14th October, staff at SuperValu and Centra stores across Northern Ireland will be armed with buckets collecting donations to raise funds for this life-saving service. Customers will also be able to donate at the tills using cash or card.
Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for SuperValu and Centra, said, "We have a long-standing partnership with Action Cancer and our amazing retailers, colleagues and customers have raised £3.5m to date to keep the Big Bus on the road. We’re proud to launch this new initiative and would encourage our customers to support this worthwhile cause in our stores and help save the life of a mum, granny, daughter, aunt, wife or friend."
Corporate Fundraising Manager for Action Cancer, Lucy McCusker, added: "We’re delighted to continue our partnership with SuperValu and Centra with the launch of this new initiative. Our breast screening service detects approximately six cancers in every 1,000 women screened, and with the support of our partners SuperValu and Centra, we can continue to provide these life-saving screenings. Each mammogram, while free to the client, costs Action Cancer £120, so every penny raised could help save the life of a woman close to you.”
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