A 72-year-old woman has shared how she has gone through over 300 rounds of chemotherapy after her "nagging" pain was actually cancer.
Margie Shields spoke out on her experience with the disease after first being diagnosed over 20 years ago, and is still receiving treatments to this day.
Having previously watched her mother and sister both go through breast cancer, Margie explained that she "sensed there was something wrong" when she too began to experience pain.
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Quickly heading to get checked, doctors confirmed that she too had the disease, with her cancer then spreading to the bones in her chest and shoulder.
Although incurable, Margie is still undergoing treatment over two decades later, and has credits developments in medicine for keeping her alive, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Margie has developed an enduring friendship with 88-year-old Ann Hannah who has been by her side through most of her time battling the disease after they met on Margie's first day of treatment.
Both are among the 30% of people diagnosed with breast cancer who develop secondary cancers, which reduces the five-year survival rate from 98% to 25%.
Initially "petrified", Margie, now 72, found community in that room of chairs arranged in a semi-circle at the Royal, saying: "It was always full of chatter because we sat close together and we could mingle. You'd be singing and laughing, and somebody would come in and tell us funny things that had happened to them over the weekend."
Now Margie and Ann, dubbed the 'Terrible Twins' by their oncologist, schedule their fortnightly chemo at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool for the same day so they can spend time together.
Ann, who prefers 'Chemo Queens' over 'Terrible Twins', said: "I've just had my 310th chemotherapy treatment and the nurses here are amazing.
"I have a laugh and a joke with them every time I come. Laughter brightens everyone's day and it's wonderful to be able to have my treatment with Margie."
Speaking of her friend, Margie said: "She's an amazing lady, absolutely. And for 88, she's grand. She is what I would call an inspiration. I actually class her as family."
As she bonded with others going through treatment, and watched them 'ring the bell' when they got the all-clear, Margie picked up tips to help her stay positive over the last two decades.
But Margie and Ann were separated while Margie had treatment for an unrelated stomach cancer in 2019.
For two years, she had to go through "very, very strong" rounds of chemotherapy that left her feeling "really ill" before having an operation on her stomach, all without the regular companionship of her fellow "Chemo Queen".
Margie "didn't like it at all", but optimistic as ever, she found a silver lining in the "nice figure" she got from losing "lots of weight" due to treatment after having "always been a chunky monkey".
Margie said: "The surgeons have done a fantastic job, I have to say. It was gruelling because I had reconstruction for my stomach, and I had it all done at once.
"At the time, obviously it's hard going, but then as you're feeling a bit better, you meet the ladies, I always remember meeting a lady when I was started in chemotherapy, and she was such an inspiration."
Dr Farida Alam, consultant in clinical oncology at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: "Margie and Ann are inspirational. They really are a great example of how cancer can be managed, if not cured, and the fact they have both been having treatment for 17 years and still arrive with smiles and such positive energy is wonderful to see.
"There is a variety of treatments for metastatic breast cancer and while there is no cure, treatment may control it for years at a time, enabling people to live relatively well for longer.
"Patients work closely with their doctors and nurses to manage any symptoms or side effects as well as possible."
Symptoms of metastatic breast cancer, like extreme fatigue, constantly feeling sick, or unexplained weight loss, can be similar to other conditions, according to Clatterbridge, which stressed the importance of speaking to your doctor "about any potentially worrying new signs or symptoms".
Margie said: "At the first signs of anything, I would always say to anybody, go and get checked. You're not wasting anybody's time by doing that because they would rather you find it earlier than later.
"I've had it said to myself by a few friends over the years, 'I've been called to have a mammogram, but it hurts'. My answer to that is, if you don't go, it'll hurt you a lot more."
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