A mum-of-two living with incurable secondary cancer said "it's too late for me" but wants more awareness raised of the disease.
Nicola Williams was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and then secondary breast cancer last year. The invasive ductal carcinoma form of breast cancer was found to have spread to her spine following an MRI scan.
The 48-year-old from Warrington is helping front the Fighting to be Heard campaign by the Make 2nds Count charity to make more people aware of the signs and symptoms of secondary breast cancer. Nicola, who had to leave her job as a neonatal nurse due to the condition, said raising awareness has given her a purpose and the hope "others might not have to experience what I have".
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Secondary breast cancer, also known as metastatic or stage four breast cancer, is when the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. On average there are around 35,000 people in the UK living with the condition.
Nicola told CheshireLive : "My story started back in 2017 when I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma and received treatment for the same. Unfortunately, we are not really given a lot of advice on what to look out for once back home.
"And sadly, mammograms do not pick up secondary breast cancer as it tends to appear elsewhere and not necessarily in the breast. In May 2021 I had an MRI and I was taken straight to A&E. Following surgery, my tumour was tested and I got the diagnosis - my primary breast cancer had returned in my spine.
"Raising awareness is really important to me - it gives me a purpose and the hope that others might not have to experience what I have. It is too late for me but I hope that change will come and my daughter, niece and future grandchildren will benefit from our campaign."
Nicola is fronting the campaign alongside 19 women across the UK living with secondary breast cancer. The Make 2nds Count campaign was founded by Lisa Fleming from Edinburgh to support patients and families and raise funds for research into the disease.
The charity has now joined forces with Clear Channel to launch a campaign across the country, including in Warrington. Ms Fleming said she was grateful for the support from Clear Channel to enable the awareness campaign to go nationwide.
She added: "We desperately need people to be aware of this forgotten form of breast cancer. We need to change the narrative, raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of this disease.
"Primary breast cancer is well documented. Secondary breast cancer is incurable. It’s like a relative that no one really wants to speak about, but without education this disease will continue to destroy the lives of so many."
