A mum living with incurable secondary breast cancer has called for more to be done to raise awareness of the disease.
Mum-of-two Nicola Williams, 48, had to leave her job as a neonatal nurse due to her condition, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and then secondary breast cancer in 2021.
Devastatingly, the ductal carcinoma form of breast cancer was found to have spread to her spine following an MRI scan, Cheshire Live reports.
Nicola, from Warrington, is now helping to lead the 'Fighting to be Heard' campaign by the Make 2nds Count charity to make more people aware of the signs and symptoms.
Secondary breast cancer is breast cancer which has spread to other parts of the body and is sometimes referred to as metastatic or stage four breast cancer.
On average, there are around 35,000 people in the UK living with the condition.
Nicola, who is a former neonatal sister on a neonatal intensive care unit, is now featuring on billboards raising awareness of this 'forgotten cancer' and the possible symptoms to look out for.
Nicola said: "My story started back in 2017 when I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma and received treatment for the same. Unfortunately, we are not really given a lot of advice on what to look out for once back home.
"And sadly, mammograms do not pick up secondary breast cancer as it tends to appear elsewhere and not necessarily in the breast.
“In May 2021 I had an MRI and I was taken straight to A&E. Following surgery, my tumour was tested and I got the diagnosis: my primary breast cancer had returned in my spine.
"Raising awareness is really important to me - it gives me a purpose and the hope that others might not have to experience what I have. It is too late for me but I hope that change will come and my daughter, niece and future grandchildren will benefit from our campaign."
A YouGov survey commissioned by the charity showed that 38 per cent of people in Britain were not aware of secondary breast cancer and, although, 21 per cent were aware, they didn't know the disease's common signs and symptoms.
Make 2nds Count was founded by Lisa Fleming from Edinburgh to support patients and families, educate and raise funds for research into the disease. The charity has now joined forces with Clear Channel to launch a campaign across the country, including in Penketh, Warrington.
The emotive image used in the campaign was originally created by photography studio Sane Seven for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and was featured in Manchester and Birmingham.
The campaign went national when one of the models, Kimberley Noble from Chester, approached Clear Channel for their help. Sadly, since then, two of those who took part in the shoot have passed away and a number of others are unwell.
Lisa Fleming said she was grateful for the support from Clear Channel to enable the awareness campaign to go nationwide. She added: "We desperately need people to be aware of this forgotten form of breast cancer. We need to change the narrative, raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of this disease.
"Primary breast cancer is well documented. Secondary breast cancer is incurable. It’s like a relative that no one really wants to speak about, but without education this disease will continue to destroy the lives of so many."
For more information about the Make 2nds Count charity, visit make2ndscount.co.uk.
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