‘My GP said there was nothing to worry about – 10 months later I’d lost my breasts’

A woman who was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of breast cancer in her 20s, undergoing chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and radiotherapy within the space of 10 months, says her GP insisted an initial lump was ‘nothing to worry about’.

Prior to her diagnosis in May last year, Anna Ramsey said she was a normal 28-year-old, living a “standard, fun life” – socialising, travelling, and spending time with friends.

In January, the PR manager, who lives in Sutton, London, noticed a small lump in her right breast and, after being referred by her GP, she was told “it was benign and nothing to worry about”.

A couple of months later, she noticed another lump – this time in her left breast, measuring 2cm in diameter – which was “more visible”, but since she thought it was benign as well, she delayed seeing her GP and “didn’t really think anything of it” at the time.

Six weeks later, after booking a doctor’s appointment, she was referred again and underwent an ultrasound and a biopsy, which Anna assumed was “standard procedure”.

However, just two weeks later in May, she received the shocking diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer – a more aggressive form of breast cancer, which is harder to treat.

“My consultant just cut straight to the chase and said, ‘The lump is cancerous’,” she said.

Anna responded well to treatment, and has since been told she is cancer free – and she will soon be taking part in The Show, a fashion show run by the charity Breast Cancer Now, to celebrate her body, raise awareness of the disease, and show “how far she has come”.

“It’s just a great opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come and get all dressed up,” Anna said.

“After feeling like rubbish, and having your appearance change over the last year, having that opportunity to wear really nice clothes, get your hair and makeup done, and be surrounded with other women who know exactly what you’ve been through, will be amazing.”

She added: “I’ve tried on the outfits and there’s an amazing evening gown, which I would never normally wear, that’s floor-length and it’s designer and bright pink.

“I’m really excited to wear that, and I’m just really looking forward to the whole experience and the rush of it all, getting changed from one outfit to the next.”

“Everything was all a bit of a blur to be honest, I wasn’t really taking anything in.

“I found out that I’d need to have chemotherapy, and I think the hardest part was finding out that I’m probably going to lose my hair, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to work.

“I was just totally shocked.”

Anna underwent chemotherapy for five months, which resulted in her losing the majority of her hair and feeling extremely “fatigued”.

She then had a double mastectomy in December – where both breasts are removed – and immediate implant reconstruction surgery, followed by radiotherapy.

According to Breast Cancer Now, only around 15% of all breast cancers are triple negative and it is more common in younger women who carry an altered BRCA gene.

Anna found out that she carried the altered BRCA1 gene during treatment – an inherited gene that increases the risk of breast cancer – and so she opted to have a double mastectomy, which took place in December, to reduce her chances of breast cancer recurrence.

However, prior to this, she started undergoing chemotherapy in June at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, which significantly affected the number of blood cells in her body and led to her requiring a blood transfusion, as well as causing extreme fatigue and hair loss.

Anna said she used to watch TV programmes like Britain’s Next Top Model “all the time” when she was younger and had dreams of one day walking on the catwalk – however, she did not think it would ever become a reality.

She said she had always enjoyed dressing up and getting her hair done, and so seeing her appearance change during this time was difficult to process.

“I’ve always enjoyed getting my hair done, going on nights out with friends, and getting dressed up, so that side of things was quite scary,” Anna said.

“Even though it wasn’t very nice to see those changes, luckily I could use different turbans and wigs and makeup, and people wouldn’t really know the difference.

“The appearance side was quite difficult… but just remembering that it’s temporary, and it will get better, really helped me get through it.”

Anna responded well to chemotherapy and underwent a double mastectomy in December and had immediate implant reconstruction surgery at the same time.

She said her surgeon and the breast cancer team were “amazing”, but she still had some residual cancer left after her chemotherapy – tissue measuring 6mm in her left breast – and so she then underwent three weeks of radiotherapy in February this year.

As Anna has the BRCA1 altered gene, she will be taking preventative medication for another year and have regular check-ups, but she has since been told she is cancer free.

She said the support from Breast Cancer Now has been amazing, and she cannot wait to participate in The Show, which she signed up for during chemotherapy.

Anna said being diagnosed with breast cancer was “a huge shock and a challenging situation”, especially being so young, but she wishes to stress the importance of checking your breasts and maintaining a positive mindset, as “there is light at the end of the tunnel”.

“It’s all a bit of a blur,” Anna said.

“Sometimes I just can’t actually believe that it’s happened to me.

“It’s coming up to a year now since I was diagnosed and it’s been such a bizarre time… but I think I have managed to have a positive attitude most of the time, and that’s helped me.”

She added: “I’m really excited to be taking part in The Show and to raise awareness of breast cancer, no matter how old you are, and to celebrate life.

“I can finally live my childhood dream of walking down a runway.”

You can take a virtual front-row seat on April 20 to watch Anna take to the catwalk.

To register to watch The Show virtually and for further information on The Show by Breast Cancer Now, please visit: breastcancernow.org/theshowlondon