Why breast cancer changed my life for the better

Louise McMilan, 50, from Weston-super-Mare, shares her story of being diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago while in a period of deep depression. Little did she know, it would provide her with the strength she needed to take back control of her life.

"My story isn’t one you’re likely to hear — my cancer diagnosis changed my life for the better. My mental health during my journey through breast cancer was pivotal to how I live my life now.

Putting myself through endless appointments, scans, operations, chemo and radiotherapy made me realise just how strong and resilient I am. After decades suffering from depression, I finally allowed myself to be me.

My cancer came as a total shock. I had no history of breast cancer in my family, nor did I experience common symptoms.

It was April 2017, I was 44 and in between jobs, when one morning, I noticed something odd. As I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, I spotted a wet patch on the front of my pyjama top by my left breast. I didn’t give it a second’s thought.

Alarm bells

Over the next few weeks, I noticed it happened a few more times, so I booked in with the GP. The timing was significant. I was job-hunting at home, so I had time to address the issue.

However, the previous year had been a different story. I had suffered burn-out in autumn 2016 and consequently was struggling with low self-esteem and anxiety.

That year, I was showing up each day for a job I loved in the HR department of a Bristol firm but I didn’t have a good life balance and I’d been neglecting myself, mentally and physically. Had these concerns about my breast discharge arisen back then, I probably would have ignored it. Honestly, cancer was far from my mind.

Read more: How to check for breast cancer symptoms and detect the condition early

At my GP appointment in May, the doctor wasn’t concerned when she examined me, but she still referred me to Weston General Hospital to be on the safe side.

Again, at that next appointment, I was told there wasn’t a problem after a physical examination but they still suggested a mammogram. This all happened within two weeks, so I didn’t really have time to worry. I started a new job at the same time and focused on that.

Numb with shock

Two weeks after the mammogram, I also had an ultrasound. That was when things got more serious. I had a biopsy taken from my right breast — even though the nipple discharge had been from my left breast. I still wasn’t majorly concerned.

While at work a week later in early June, I got a call from the hospital asking if I could pop in. I drove straight there picking up my mum on the way. This was the first time I started to feel nervous.

When the consultant delivered the words, 'We’ve found stage two cancer in your right breast', I stared back at her numb with shock. Then as both my mum and I cried, a MacMillan nurse talked us through the plans for a lumpectomy operation and treatment.

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I hadn’t felt scared as I knew I was having expert care, but what I really wanted to ask about the operation was, ‘What happens if I don’t wake up?’ I guess the fear had set in. Of course, I knew the answer to this question but I think I was trying to work out the chances so I could manage my fear. The relief was overwhelming when I did come round.

Staying strong

Despite what was happening, I didn’t slump into the dark places like before or spiral into anxiety in the middle of the night. I soldiered on with my life and work. It was like I was proving to myself I was still alive — cancer hadn’t got me.

The day before getting my results from the lumpectomy, I had a haircut. ‘This is the last time you’re going to cut my hair,’ I said to my hairdresser. I had a hunch that I would be told I needed chemotherapy.

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I said the same to my mum in the waiting room on 5 July before heading into the consultant’s room. ‘But you’ve been so positive,’ she said to me. Somehow, I just knew it wasn’t going to be good news.

It was a good job I’d prepared myself this way, because the results showed stage three breast cancer with a tumour of 45mm (not 25mm as first thought) and cancer in two of my lymph nodes. I didn’t actually cry because I felt ready for this news, whereas my poor mum was in floods of tears.

As if this wasn’t dramatic enough, a month later, after my first chemo I had really bad stomach pain and was diagnosed with appendicitis and had to have major emergency surgery — two days in intensive care and two weeks in hospital.

I had so much support during this time — from medical staff to my parents and lovely friends. I remember feeling overwhelmed by people’s kindness. It dawned on me that friends and family really cared for me. It provided me with a real sense of comfort and security.

A wake-up call

I finished my chemo on 21 December and started a four-week course of radiotherapy on 23 January, 2018. I stayed off work until April to help my body recover from all the treatment, have check-ups and take stock of what I’d been through.

I believe in the universe and things happening for a reason — I believe cancer was sent to me. I was stoic but just surviving before — I’d show up for work, I looked the part, but mentally I was unwell. When I was told I had cancer, I was faced with the realisation that I didn't want to die. It was like a wake-up call. I knew for years that I needed to change the way I lived, but this forced me to do so.

Read more: Breast Cancer Awareness Month: 15 things survivors want you to know

When you have an illness like cancer, there’s a network of medical support for you and a detailed and tailored treatment plan as well as awareness, so the people around you can help. It’s not the same dealing with depression.

First of all, how do you explain your feelings to someone when you can't understand what’s going on in your own head? People shy away from helping because they don’t know how to.

I’m now four years' clear and go for annual routine mammograms. I'm determined not to let my mental health get in the way of life any more. I have a good work/life balance and have my coping tools to nourish and ground me — like eating well, walking in the park and talking to the squirrels!

I revisited my coaching qualification from years ago after my cancer and I now work as a self-development coach helping others live the life they want to live and sharing my story.

Having cancer saved me from a continuous spiral of being in and out of depression – I finally found me."

If you’re looking for support through cancer or want to find out how to support others, go to MacMillan Cancer Support.

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