As Breast Cancer Awareness month draws to a close, sufferer Claire White, of Gosberton Risegate, has told her story.
One of the less than two per cent of people aged 34 or under to be diagnosed with breast cancer, Claire is a reminder that – whatever your age – you must know how to look for lumps and consult your doctor immediately if you find anything.
As she raised a glass to see in the New Year, Claire looked ahead to the summer when she’d finally be a bride.
She and partner Sid had beaten all the odds. Having had a baby together when they were barely out of school, they’d remained united, added to their family and Claire was finally to become Mrs White, a few days after her 35th birthday.
There was only one thing that could ruin everything – Claire had found a lump in her breast.
Her GP felt certain it was a cyst, but doctors decided a biopsy would be wise. When she went to get the results, Sid was at her side.
“The doctor said ‘It shouldn’t be cancer but it is,’” Claire said. “With my age and my health and no family history they weren’t expecting it. I was as low risk as you could possibly be, I’m just an anomaly.
“We were given a lot of information, of which you take in none.
“At that point my first thought was ‘but we’re getting married this year’. The thing I was bothered about, as silly as it sounds, was my hair. I thought ‘I don’t want to be a bald bride’.”
She and Sid returned home to break the news to Chloe, then aged 16 and Jay 11.
Claire said: “Chloe was upset because we were upset. Jay had a lot of questions – he works on facts and likes all the information. Each of them found their own way of dealing with it.
“We then decided to tell everyone else that needed to know and went and did the rounds of family. I thought if I’m doing this, I’m doing it all in one go.
“Mum had known I was having the biopsy so already knew and got all the family together for me. They thought I was going to announce I was pregnant.”
Chemotherapy began and Claire had her long hair shaved – donating it to Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs to children.
Claire also lost her eyebrows and eyelashes – something she hadn’t fully considered.
All the time, the wedding was getting closer and Claire and Sid were undecided over whether to delay it.
They scaled back their plans – abandoning the village hall and catering they’d planned for their reception in case they decided to back out.
Claire underwent seven rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, taking a week or so to recover after each before returning to work at Deister Electronic, Pinchbeck, because she was determined to keep life as normal as possible.
The chemo reduced the tumour initially but then became ineffective. A mastectomy was the only option.
Her final chemo session was July 17 and the wedding was booked for August 29.
With the surgery set for September 3 – the same day both the children were due to join Spalding Grammar School, Jay in Year 7 and Chloe the sixth form – it was decision time.
Claire said: “We were on the borderline of do we go ahead with the wedding or not but with all the risks of surgery I just wanted to be married before my operation.
“I’d waited long enough and didn’t want to wait any longer.”
Claire went for a fitting of the dress she’d found before her diagnosis and broke down as she saw her reflection so different to the first time she’d put it on.
The shop staff swung into action grabbing veils, lace and sparkly accessories and threw together a beautiful head scarf.
Too tired from her treatment to be involved, she’d handed over all details of the reception to Sid and her best friend Emily Kitchen. Claire and Sid’s local pub The Black Horse stepped in and offered to host it for them.
When the wedding day came round Claire had always imagined herself rushing around and worrying over details.
She said: “Instead I sat calmly eating eggs for breakfast then went to the hairdresser’s with the girls and she was amazing – she washed my fluff and did my make-up for me while the others had their hair done.
“It wasn’t the wedding we’d planned but I wouldn’t change it.”
Knowing they couldn’t go far and had nothing planned, Emily and Claire’s other work colleagues surprised her and Sid with a mini-honeymoon in Hunstanton.
It’s now 20 months since Claire’s diagnosis. She has undergone the mastectomy, radiotherapy and, four months ago, because her cancer was hormone-linked followed advice to have her ovaries removed. She faces further reconstruction operations and three-monthly cancer checks but the future is looking up.
She said: “I tend not to look too far ahead of myself, I just look what that next appointment is about. I never considered I might die. This was just something we had to get through.
“The one thing I am looking ahead to is our fifth wedding anniversary. We’re planning a blessing – my hair will be long and we’ll have the big party we planned.
“I just need to make sure I can still fit in the dress!”
