A mum who felt a "strange and sudden" twinge while she was relaxing at home with her young son has shared her devastation after she was told she had cancer. Victoria Knowles initially thought the small lump she felt on her rib cage was going to be a cyst as she had no history of breast cancer in her family, but she was later given the scary diagnosis.
Victoria, 46, said she went to feel for the bump, which was near her bra line, the next day after first discovering it, but couldn't locate it. However, a week later, the strange sensation she felt previously had returned.
Concerned about what she was experiencing, Victoria, who is from Wigan but lives in London, went to get the lump checked out. After a mammogram, she noticed there were "whispers" between doctors as they looked at her scans.
When they asked her if they could take some more pictures, the mum of one said she was filled with dread and lay down on the bed in the ultrasound room and just "sobbed" because she knew it was bad news, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Four days later, Victoria was at home with her husband Edward and son Thomas, seven, when she received a call with the results of her second scan on January 25, 2022. She was in her bedroom when she was told the devastating news she had breast cancer.
Once the phone call was over, she opened the door to find Edward and little Thomas waiting outside. Edward asked her if everything was OK. There was no reply. He hesitated before asking her another question, although this time he knew the answer. “It’s cancer?” he mouthed silently, not wanting to scare Thomas.
Victoria can recall feeling completely overwhelmed following the news. “It’s the most incomprehensible thing to be told you have cancer,” she continued. “You genuinely never ever think it will be you even though cancer is so common. I was thinking, ‘No, no, no, this cannot be happening to me because I won’t be able to handle this’.
“It honestly went from 0 to 100 in such a short space of time because I went in there thinking it would be nothing. There was no history of breast cancer in my family and I genuinely thought it was just going to be a cyst.
“I hugged Edward and my son and told them I was going to be the person who beats this. I decided there and then."
Following her diagnosis, Victoria, who works as a personal assistant, endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy over a two-month period to treat the cancer. Thankfully, by the time her lumpectomy surgery rolled around the following September – to remove any remaining cancer – the chemotherapy had already wiped it all out. Despite needing to take medication for the next five years, Victoria is now cancer free.
"I lost all my hair and the first four chemotherapy treatments were utterly grim and vile,” she continued. “I think I coped with that really well. I think I’ve coped really well throughout the treatment because I radically changed my life; I stopped drinking alcohol and [developed a] healthier lifestyle.”
During one chemotherapy round, Victoria can recall hearing another patient struggling and in tears. The pair got chatting and Victoria was able to share her best advice on how to get through the grim treatment.
“I realised I had a strong desire to help people with cancer,” she added. “I started volunteering with cancer charities then wrote a book.”
Victoria released her book – It's Breast Cancer: Three Little Words That Change Your Life – last month. It shares her journey from the first doctor’s visit to the end of her treatment and beyond, aiming to be a companion to anyone at the start of their breast cancer journey.
With the permission of the original founder of The Wig Bank, a wig service for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or alopecia, Victoria started The Wig Bank London. Women who are finished with treatment donate their wigs which are then sold on at affordable prices to those who cannot afford them.
“I just want to give back to ladies so they’re able to have something nice to wear,” Victoria added. “If you want [a wig] to look semi-decent, you have to spend the money. I thought, ‘What an awesome idea’.”
Not only has battling cancer changed her physically, Victoria says having the illness has altered every aspect of her life.
“It has changed me immensely,” she added. “Spiritually as well as physically. And by physically I mean I'm probably healthier now than I’ve ever been.
“I no longer drink alcohol and my diet is better than ever. I'm no longer afraid to try new things or go outside of my comfort zone because having had a cancer diagnosis was a wake up call for me – that I should really live life and enjoy it warts and all because we really are only here for a short time.”
