‘The symptom that led to my breast cancer diagnosis’
A breast cancer survivor diagnosed after seeing another woman talk about her own experience on TV has shared the symptom that raised alarm bells.
Rosie Coke, 45, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, was inspired to get checked when she saw Rebecca Hartley, 47, talking about her own early symptoms on daytime TV.
She went to the doctor the next day and was diagnosed with stage two cancer.
The mum-of-three was getting ready for a funeral in August last year and had the TV on in the background, but wasn't paying that much attention to it.
She had previously experienced a pulling-pain in her breast, which she had ignored, but when she heard Rebecca say it was a symptom of cancer, it made her think about it again.
She vowed that if she experienced the pain again, she would go to the doctors and incredibly she experienced the same sensation later that day, while she was at the funeral service.
The social housing manager went to her GP the very next day and following further testing was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.
"I didn't really believe it was something as serious as that," she says of learning her diagnosis.
"Even on the day of the scan in the waiting room, I treated it as if it was a routine smear test.
"But I'll never forget how I felt when they said it wasn't looking good.
"I burst into tears," she continues. "In 60 seconds my whole life seemed to flash before me."
After learning of her diagnosis, Coke then had to deliver the news to her mum who was sitting in the waiting room.
"It really hit me then," she says of the moment. "It felt like time stood still.
"I also had to tell my children as I didn't want to kept it from them so I had to re-deliver that news to them."
Coke had six months of chemotherapy, a single mastectomy, reconstruction and radiotherapy and is still undergoing physiotherapy.
In April this year she was given the all-clear, but may need more surgery in the future.
"I literally collapsed on the floor," she says of being declared cancer-free.
"It's like a race that you are running but you don't know where the finish line is but then you just reach it.
"I'm so pleased that my struggle is not in vain."
Coke was able to thank Hartley for helping her get diagnosed after she surprised her during a local radio station.
"You don't think you'll ever get the chance to thank the person who saved your life," she says of their meeting.
"Nothing will ever top how special it was."
Coke says she expects her and Hartley to become good friends and plans on introducing her to her friends and family, whose lives she has also impacted.
"It's just not one person who you save, you save families, colleagues and so many people," she adds.
"I wouldn't have gone to the doctors as there was nothing that told me anything was wrong apart from that pain.
"But I didn't know the pain could be something to think about until Rebecca said what she said on TV and it all clicked into place.
"I've literally had a second chance at life."
Hartley was diagnosed with breast cancer after experiencing the same pulling sensation as Coke and finding a lump.
The mum-of-one had a double mastectomy and 18 weeks of chemotherapy and was later declared cancer-free.
She now wants to encourage other people to get any unusual symptoms checked out.
"Both Rosie and I were diagnosed purely through that one symptom," she explains.
"When I found out I had breast cancer, I thought I wasn't going to live, but the reality is, if you catch breast cancer early then the chances of survival are great.
"It's nothing to be afraid of and the longer you leave it, the less chance there is of survival."
Hartley says she "burst into tears" when she found out about the impact her initial TV interview has had on Coke's life.
"It was a bit of a shock," she says. "You can't help but think Rosie may not be here if she hadn't heard about my symptoms?
"It's just an incredible story."
Speaking about both women's cancer journeys Nikki Barraclough, chief executive of Prevent Breast Cancer says: "It’s been a privilege to watch Rebecca and Rosie connect with each other and see the real-life impact that sharing stories about breast cancer can have.
"I’m a huge advocate for talking about this disease, making sure that every woman knows the signs and symptoms and can advocate for themselves to seek help when they need it.
"I’m so grateful to our inspirational ambassador Rebecca for speaking so openly about her own experience of breast cancer.
"It’s thanks to her and others like her that we can reach women like Rosie, and potentially save a life."
Additional reporting SWNS.
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