Victoria’s journey began on a Monday morning in November 2022. She was 45 at the time.

‘It was like a normal Monday morning, I just had a shower, and when I got out, I noticed that I had a line running across my left breast… It wasn’t a vein. It wasn’t a bluey colour, it was more like a dark pink colour, which wasn’t normally there… it made me want to check to see if I could feel anything unusual underneath. And although I couldn’t at first, when I really did check and move all around, I actually did find a thickening quite a long way down. It was quite deep down, so it wouldn’t have been very easy to find. I certainly wouldn’t have noticed there was a lump there had I not seen this line running across my breast…”

Although Victoria did not initially feel a lump, her professional background as a pharmacist and a general sense of caution prompted her to perform a deep, thorough self-examination, which eventually revealed a thickening deep within the tissue.

“Really pay attention to your body and be observant. Know what’s normal for you in the first place. Don’t be afraid to check, to see if you can feel anything which is unusual for you… I am very grateful that I noticed [the lump] was there and I was able to find it when I did. [My GP practice] took it all seriously and acted quickly. They listened.”

Victoria acted immediately, phoning her doctor’s surgery only an hour after the discovery and securing an appointment that very afternoon. Despite the visible line disappearing by the time she was seen, the nurse practitioner confirmed the thickening and referred her to a breast clinic, where she was seen quickly, just one week later.

At the clinic, a mammogram initially classified the area as probably benign, but an ultrasound and biopsies were performed due to the consultant radiographer noticing suspicious white spots on the mammogram. These tests, together with an MRI which was carried out the following week, revealed cancer in two locations joined together by an area of pre-cancer, totalling 2.5 centimetres in length.

Despite this, they had caught the cancer early and offered Victoria treatment. Victoria faced difficult surgical decisions, ultimately choosing a full mastectomy and staying “flat” after researching patient stories through the charity Keeping Abreast – Breast Cancer Reconstruction Support.

Throughout her treatment, Victoria used poetry and painting as a way to process her emotions, eventually self-publishing a book, titled ‘Breastless’, which records her journey and her complex thoughts and feelings at this time. It is available to buy on her website, which advocates for early detection and body awareness.

“Really pay attention to your body and be observant. Know what’s normal for you in the first place. Don’t be afraid to check, to see if you can feel anything which is unusual for you… I am very grateful that I noticed [the lump] was there and I was able to find it when I did. [My GP practice] took it all seriously and acted quickly. They listened.”