In 2013, Vivien was diagnosed with primary breast cancer. She eventually got the all-clear, but several years later, she got the news that the cancer had spread. She tells us about the importance of funding research into secondary breast cancer, and how she’s supporting us by doing her own fundraising.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m married with 2 adult children and 5 grandsons. I don’t work anymore, but I help out a lot with the grandchildren. We’re a close-knit family, which is very important to me.
Can you tell us about your primary diagnosis?
Back in 2013, I noticed an area on my breast that felt unusual. But I just sat on it for a while. One morning I was watching TV and they were encouraging women to get any unusual breast changes checked. So, I went to the GP who sent me for a .
The area I had noticed was just fibrous tissue. But during the scan, they found invasive ductal cancer in my left breast and invasive lobular cancer in my right breast. I wouldn’t have noticed either of them unless I’d gone to get checked.
I had lumpectomies to remove the cancer followed by a of my right breast and reconstruction. I also had . Treatment was hard at the beginning, but I didn’t need .
I tried to keep positive through it all. My family and friends were brilliant. Eventually, I was told I was cancer-free.
How did your secondary diagnosis come about?
A year ago, I went to the GP because my breasts felt very lumpy. I didn’t have any pain, and I have a lot of lumps from the surgeries, but I wanted them to make sure everything was ok.
I thought it would just put my mind at rest. But when the GP examined me, she found a lump tucked into my armpit. I needed another scan to investigate. On the way home, I called my husband, and he was near to tears by the time I got home. I told him it would be fine, it could be so many different things.
What happened after that?
I went to a clinic to get a mammogram and a . When I had the scan, it felt like everything started to cave in. I said to the clinician, “It’s cancer, isn’t it?” and she said “Yes.”
I still tried to stay optimistic. They scanned my whole body to see if the cancer had spread. After a CT scan and an unpleasant, lengthy bone scan, I got the all-clear.
My family and I rejoiced. I remember saying, ‘Thank goodness it isn’t in my bones because if it was, I’d be in trouble.’
I had surgery and a lymph node clearance to remove the tumour. Before I started chemotherapy, the oncologist wanted me to have 1 more scan.
2 days before I was due to start chemo, I went in to get the results of the scan. I saw the screen was open with the images, and I already knew what I was about to hear. The breast cancer had spread to my bones.
How did you react to this diagnosis?
When they told me, I was listening, but not really taking it in. My worst nightmare was happening. Telling my family and friends was terrible.
People ask me when I’ll finish my treatment, and I have to tell them I won’t. They don’t know what to say. Everyone is still really supportive, but it’s different with secondaries.
How are you doing now?
Thanks to new drugs, I'm doing just fine now. I take medication in 3-week cycles and then have 1 week off for my body to recover. I take a drug called Palbociclib, which is targeted towards the cancer in my bones. It’s much better on the body than chemo and it’s working really well.
When I was first diagnosed with secondaries, I felt alone and lost. I wanted to talk to other women who were similar to me, so I could ask them how they were coping.
I joined a face-to-face group with Breast Cancer Now. All the ladies were lovely. We have a WhatsApp group where we talk about how we are and what’s happening.
I think everything Breast Cancer Now does is amazing. There’s so much different support, online and in-person. You can call up and there will always be someone to speak to. It’s so important to have help available and to support vital research into secondary breast cancer. I wanted to give back, so I decided to do my own fundraising.
How did you fundraise?
Last Christmas, we did some wreath-making in our garden. We had a huge turnout. My daughter-in-law is a florist, and she ran the event. There was hot chocolate, mince pies and mulled wine, and everyone loved it. The wreaths were incredible, and people were so generous. We raised so much more than I was expecting, which just makes me want to continue to raise more.
What do you hope for the future?
I just hope there are breakthroughs in research to give people with secondary breast cancer more time. Palbociclib, the drug I take which is keeping the cancer under control, wasn’t available until 2016. Without research into secondary breast cancer, it wouldn’t exist.
It’s not until something like this happens that you realise how precious time is. It puts things into perspective. I love all of my family and I don’t want to leave them.
I do feel very blessed. I’m 62, my children have their own families, and that’s a great comfort because I know they’ll be okay. There are many women with secondary breast cancer much younger, with little children, and they need the time.
Advances in research have already given many of us more time and a better quality of life. But one day, I hope breast cancer won’t cut anyone’s life short.
Support secondary breast cancer research
Will you consider donating today, towards a better future for people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer? If we all pull together today, we could really make a difference. Thank you.