A Salford mum who was diagnosed with cancer at 32 despite being told a lump in her breast was ‘nothing to worry about’ has urged people to seek a second opinion if they feel that something isn't right.
Karli Durrant, from Swinton, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer during the lockdown after having an intuition that something wasn’t quite right with her body. Over the months that followed, she underwent gruelling operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Karli first visited her GP in February 2021 after discovering a lump in her breast. “I went to my GP and he said he wasn’t concerned,” mum-of-one Karli, now 34, told the M.E.N. “At the time, I was in the best possible health I could have been in.
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“Because of the lockdown, I was exercising every day and keeping really fit. My doctor told me I was in great health, I was young, I had no family history of cancer and the lump was mobile so he wasn’t worried, but would still refer me for a screening just to be sure.”
When Karli, who works in child services, found out there would be a six-week wait time for an appointment, she said her anxiety got the best of her and she booked herself in with a private doctor just to get some clarity.
“The doctor who examined me there said they weren’t concerned either, but said I could have a scan if I didn’t want to wait for my NHS appointment,” she explained. “Just to rule it out, I decided to have the scan and pay the money to find out.
“As soon as they scanned the lump, I could see on their faces there and then it was breast cancer. He went from being joyous to sternly asking me ‘how long have you had this?’”
The doctor, who Karli described as ‘amazing and great’, then got in touch with the NHS to expedite a referral back to them and she was seen again just three days after the scan.
Ultimately, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and it was discovered the lump had spread to three of her lymph nodes. She underwent an operation at Royal Bolton Hospital to remove all of the lymph nodes from under her arm.
Just three months after first going to the GP, Karli was undergoing chemotherapy - which had to take place every three weeks for five months before further rounds of radiotherapy.
“The surgery was fine,” Karli said. “It was more the active treatment afterwards that is really hard on you. I wouldn’t wish that on even my worst enemy.”
Karli says she is ‘so, so thankful’ towards her GP, who, despite not expecting a cancer diagnosis, referred Karli for screening as he should.
“I have no ill thoughts towards my GP,” Karli explains. “He’s been great. When I went back after my treatment, I remember him saying he was very surprised regarding my diagnosis as he just didn’t think it would be what it was.
“He followed protocol and referred me anyway even though he didn’t think it was anything to be worried about. Both him and the private doctor helped save my life.”
Whilst she was still undergoing treatment in September 2021, Karli’s family rallied together to raise money for Maggie’s, a cancer charity that helped her and her family during her hospital visits.
“As I was diagnosed during lockdown, it was quite a lonely experience,” she explained. “My mum and husband couldn’t come into the hospital with me and I had to go alone.
“The lady who founded Maggie’s wanted a non-clinical setting for people who were diagnosed with cancer and so my family would spend time at their centre at The Christie and wait for me there.
“My mum wanted to raise money for them, so some friends and family got together and climbed the Yorkshire Three Peaks. I had just finished chemotherapy three days earlier, so I said to them I’d do it next year and held myself to that.”
In August last year, Karli climbed the Yorkshire Three Peaks in aid of Maggie’s and The Christie. Two weeks later, she climbed Snowden for the Christie.
“Being outdoors has really helped with my recovery,” Karli explained. “It’s helped me both physically and mentally.”
Inspired by those experiences, Karli is next going to climb the French Alps as part of a five-day trek for breast cancer charity Coppafeel in September.
She is among 120 people chosen to take part in the expedition, which will also include celebrities like Giovanna Fletcher. She has pledged to raise at least £2,750 for the charity through a fundraiser and a series of events.
“I don’t think I've actually realised the extent of what I've signed up for,” she laughs. "I think once I’ve raised the money, I’ll start stressing about actually doing it!
“Luckily for me, I examined myself every month because of charities like Coppafeel. I think it’s really an important charity and there needs to be more awareness about it."
Asked what she would say to anyone who might see themselves in a similar position to the one she was in when she first discovered the lump, she says: “Go to your doctor immediately.
“If they aren’t concerned, ask for a second opinion or go private if you can. I feel like that really did save my life.
“I think if it spreads to four or more lymph nodes, it is classed as stage three. For all I know, if I'd left it and waited for my NHS appointment, it could have spread further.
“It’s so important to check yourself, both women and men, and contact your doctor immediately if you have any concerns.”
Despite not wanting to ever have to relive the experience, Karli says it has taught her a lot and given her a new lease of life.
“Before I was diagnosed, I was a bit of a scaredy cat and I never did anything adventurous,” she said. “But now when there’s anything scary or difficult, I say to myself ‘look at what you’ve been through, you’ve literally faced your own mortality’.
“Now I just don’t think I have any fear. As much as I don’t wish to have had cancer, it has brought lots of positives into my life. It really has been life-changing.”
You can donate to Karli's fundraiser in aid of Coppafeel here.
For advice and information on breast cancer, you can visit the Coppafeel website.
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