“I was diagnosed with stage-two breast cancer. There were no changes in my body that indicated a symptom of cancer and my diagnosis came out of the blue. Before my diagnosis, I had limited knowledge of the symptoms of breast cancer - It was never really on my radar. I knew that I should check for lumps every now and then, but that was it.

As soon as I found a lump, I acted quickly and went to the GP. I was given an appointment the very next day. There was a two-week window before my initial GP appointment and my mammogram. The mammogram results were clear, though, and I was sent from an ultrasound which revealed that I had cancer. During the time between my GP appointment and the results of the ultrasound, I was in denial about everything. I felt numb; in fact, I didn’t feel anything at all. It was my birthday during this period, so I tried to focus on that.

There was no delay in receiving my diagnosis however I received the news over the phone whilst I was on my own. I was in the car park of my son’s school. I had requested to be told over the phone, however I did not envision them giving me the diagnosis in this way while on my own waiting to collect my son from school.

No further appointments were required for me to get my initial diagnosis however due to a six-week wait for surgery on the NHS, I decided to have surgery privately at the Spire Hospital in Manchester.

I live in a small community and believe that the fact I use a small GP practice made a difference in how quickly I was diagnosed, even though I didn’t see a doctor I am familiar with during my appointment.

Prior to my diagnosis, I was aware of the screening programmes available however I was not of an age where screening was open to me. I feel comfortable discussing my cancer symptoms with my friends, but not with my family.”