A mum is overcome with joy from welcoming her baby girl after beating stage-two breast cancer.
Kayleigh Turner, 32, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 26 and she was the youngest patient in her hospital ward undergoing chemotherapy.
Kayleigh, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, was in the shower when she first discovered a lump in her breast.
The private banking manager's biggest fear was chemotherapy leaving her infertile and unable to have children with her partner Josh.
Now that she is cancer-free and a mum to little Quinn, she is sharing her story to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer to fund research for a cure.
Kayleigh told YorkshireLive that even after finding a lump in her breast and being sent for tests, she wasn’t expecting to be diagnosed with cancer.
Speaking about her experience, she said: "It was a bit of a curveball – we weren’t expecting that. I did assume it would be normal.
"I was in the shower when I found out, and to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t specifically feeling for a lump.
"I noticed something felt different. I said to Josh, do you think that lump is normally there?
"I just assumed it was normal but the right thing to do was to go and get it checked out." Kayleigh saw her GP who decided to send her for further tests.
She added: "Everybody says you’re too young for that really but the doctor was brilliant and said let’s refer you on for extra checks – but I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about."
A biopsy and ultrasound followed and Kayleigh said she knew something was wrong when she was asked to get her results in person.
Kayleigh was told she had stage two breast cancer and a fast-growing tumour which hadn’t yet spread to her lymph nodes.
She was told she would need chemotherapy and radiotherapy and she was asked about plans to start a family.
She added: "Because of my age, they wanted to give me quite strong chemo and quite a tough round of radiotherapy, so the cancer was destroyed completely. That can affect your fertility."
Kayleigh was referred to a specialist fertility team at another hospital.
Some of her eggs were harvested and frozen, alongside some embryos.
The procedure was a backup plan for Kayleigh and Josh, although Quinn was conceived naturally.
She said: "I was the youngest person in the hospital ward– everyone else was older or my grandparents’ age.
"You walk in and think, oh my goodness what’s going on? It’s quite daunting but the team were incredible. I ended up losing my hair, which was probably one of the worst things about it – which is ridiculous.”
Kayleigh’s treatment lasted a total of nine months and she credits Josh, her parents Sue and Mark and family and friends for providing her with the support she needed throughout.
Kayleigh and Josh were over the moon to welcome baby Quinn earlier this year.
She said: "She’s a little dream, quite an easy baby and a happy little soul", she said of her daughter. The new mum's mission is now to help other people suffering from cancer.
Kayleigh supports the Cancer Research UK Race for Life each year and tries to spread the word to friends about the importance of knowing their bodies and getting any symptoms checked.
She said: "I do think it’s important and especially for younger people. One of my friends has since had a lump and they’ve messaged me and said what do you think? It’s important to just be familiar with your normal and not be frightened to ask questions if it’s something unusual."
She added: "Success stories like mine would not be possible without research into better and kinder treatments, that’s why I’m lending my heartfelt support to this vitally important campaign. Every action big or small could help make a difference. So, I hope people in North Yorkshire will Stand Up To Cancer for me and everyone affected by this devastating disease."
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for North Yorkshire Michaela Robinson-Tate said: "Thanks to our supporters, every day our researchers are working tirelessly to help more people like Kayleigh survive. They’re finding ways to stop cancer from resisting treatment. They’re improving technology to detect cancer faster and boosting the immune system so that it’s better at destroying cancer cells.
"But there’s so much further to go. One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. All of us can play a part to help beat it. That’s why we’re asking everyone to Stand Up To Cancer this autumn and raise money that could help get new tests and treatments to those who need them most. If we all stand together, we can save lives."
To fundraise or donate visit su2c.org.uk.
