Bournemouth cancer patient tells women to check for lumps

Sophie Jackson from Bournemouth has highlighted the importance of women checking for lumps after saying the early detection of her cancer ‘saved her life’.

The 26-year-old trained at Bournemouth University before becoming a senior staff nurse on the oncology unit for University Hospitals Dorset- the hospital where she now receives treatment following her own breast cancer diagnosis in November last year.

She said: “I administer chemotherapy as part of my job, and I have now had to transition to patient and have my own colleagues treating me which has been really hard.”

With no risk factors or family history of cancer, Sophie’s case highlights the importance of checking your breasts for lumps from a young age.

Read more: Dorset cancer survivors calling for people to 'Race for Life'

She also encourages women concerned about a lump to visit their GP and ‘never take no for an answer’.

Sophie said: “Initially, when I found the lump, my GP didn’t consider me a risk and wanted to defer me a month.

“She told me to wait a month and said that my lump was likely hormonal because of my age, but because of my job as a cancer nurse she referred me for a screening to help put my mind at rest.

“This was wrong, and I felt like I was being over the top and wasting people’s time.

“I very nearly cancelled my hospital appointment for this reason and thank goodness I didn’t.

“My cancer is very aggressive and if I had waited the month like the GP said it may have been incurable and spread.”

With her cancer journey continuing, Sophie is sharing her story via a personal blog ‘The Nurse Who Got Cancer’, which she hopes will raise awareness whilst acting as a support network for woman with cancer.

She has also started a fundraising page to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

She said: “I’d just love to spread some awareness as early detection has saved my life.”

To read more about Sophie’s inspirational story visit thecancernursethatgotcancer.com, or to donate to her fundraising page visit https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/mary-and-friends-26.