A mum-of-two who was given a routine mammogram a year earlier than she expected has spoken out after the scan revealed a cancerous lump hidden so deep it was not noticeable by touch.
Sheelagh Davidson, 57, said she wasn't worried when she went for the scan, but was 'shocked' when she was told she had stage two breast cancer after experiencing 'no symptoms'.
The retired school secretary, who lives in Manchester with her husband, Stuart, says she was 'very lucky' to be invited for the scan a year earlier than expected after moving from Lincoln. She now wants to raise awareness to help other women be diagnosed sooner.
Sheelagh said she 'hadn't noticed anything was wrong' when she went for the scan, and didn't feel alarmed even when she received a call to attend an appointment for her results.
“I’m naturally a very optimistic person so I just thought it’d be nothing, something simple that had flagged up," she said. “So when they told me I had stage two breast cancer, I was very shocked.
“There’s no history of cancer in my family and I hadn’t experienced any symptoms, so it was not what I was expecting at all.”
The lump found in Sheelagh’s left breast was deep and not noticeable to touch, and would not have been picked up so quickly had she not been invited for her routine scan a year early.
She said: “A mammogram would have been the only way this could have been found, so I was very lucky that I had ended up having my scan early.”
Sheelagh underwent a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous lump from her left breast before starting chemotherapy. She had three rounds of three-weekly chemotherapy, and then weekly treatment for nine weeks, before undergoing three weeks of radiotherapy 'as a precaution'.
“There had been no sign of cancer since the surgery but the additional treatment gave me some peace of mind that it was wasn’t coming back.”
When her radiotherapy treatment ended in March 2019, Sheelagh was given the all-clear. She now campaigns to raise awareness of breast cancer and encourage women to get checked often and early.
“I really wanted to do something good and give back in some way, to show people that a cancer diagnosis is not the end of the world, so I began taking part in charity events," she said.
“I volunteered to help with tea and coffee mornings at The Nightingale Centre in Wythenshawe Hospital and, in 2019, the charity had a double decker bus which I helped out on to spread awareness.”
During lockdown, Sheelagh took part in a virtual walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, and this year she completed the Manchester Half Marathon to raise money for Prevent Breast Cancer.
“The past three or four years, I’ve really dedicated to giving back in whatever way I can," she said. “It’s become an outlet for me to do good and I want to continue to help in any way possible.”
To help spread her message further, Sheelagh has joined Prevent Breast Cancer’s BooBee campaign and signed up to be a BooBee ambassador. The BooBees are 100 women who have been affected by breast cancer, who are joining together to spread awareness and fundraise for a future without breast cancer across Greater Manchester.
Sheelagh said: “A breast cancer-free future would mean no-one would have to go through the stress of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Being a mum to two beautiful daughters, I want to provide support to the effort that Prevent Breast Cancer is leading."
She added: “This includes improved breast cancer detection breakthroughs hopefully helping prevent others, including my daughters, from suffering the effects of this terrible disease.”
Nikki Barraclough, executive director at Prevent Breast Cancer, said: “Sheelagh’s story highlights the importance of regularly attending mammograms, especially given that the earlier breast cancer is found, the greater the chance of survival.
“We know there are delays in the process, which means it’s more important than ever that women attend their screening appointments and are breast aware.”
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