""We're all so busy, but in reality, you need to make time." Photo: Karen Lamond
This month is breast cancer awareness month, an opportunity for us all to focus on breast cancer and its impact on those affected by the disease in our community.
Karen is a Mother’s Day Classic Community Ambassador who is passionate about increasing awareness and encouraging young women to get checked regularly.
At 40 years of age, Karen was experiencing a dull ache in her right-hand side so her GP recommended that she have a mammogram and ultrasound. They could not detect a lump, but the scan showed there were abnormal cells on her opposite side
Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer on 16th June 2019. Her cancer was on her left-hand side where she had no symptoms at all and the cancer was just under 1cm in size. By the time she had her first surgery, some five weeks after diagnosis, it was three times that size.
Cancer cells can grow so fast which is why it is so important to get checked regularly regardless of age
Post-surgery, Karen was faced with two options, having 25 rounds of radiation which would hopefully be enough to remove the cancer cells completely or having radiation and further surgery to get better margins. After weighing up her options, Karen decided to have a double mastectomy. In total, she had five surgeries in the space of just eight months and is now cancer free. She’s grateful to have caught her cancer early and encourages all women to get checked no matter how young.
"We're all so busy, but in reality, you need to make time because you don't want to deal with potentially not being around to see your family grow. Please do it for your family, do it for your friends but most importantly do it for yourself - NO EXCUSES”
We hope Karen’s story inspires you to take the time to look after your health and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
