Message
from Lenka

I found a lump in my right breast when I was just 24 years old. An ultrasound and a biopsy was performed with the results coming back as benign. Since then, I used to check my breasts on irregular basis and when I did, I would check around the breast and under the armpit. My breasts were naturally lumpy so at times it was difficult to know what I was actually checking for.

In 22nd December 2017 we had our beautiful son and I was 29 years old. I really struggled with breastfeeding and I am sure many women can relate. Theo was a large baby and a big eater and breastfeeding was just unbearable for me even when I considered my pain threshold to be pretty high.

Midwives try to encourage mums to continue and push through the pain as apparently it gets easier. To this day, I remember calling a midwife out on Christmas Day due to being in great pain and she said "I will need to release some pressure and get the milk out as the breast was rock solid. She said, "the only way I can do this is by squeezing the breast with a great mount of pressure". I looked at her like a deer in a headlight and was thinking to myself - "No, you are NOT!" Well, I had no choice and off she went and done it. At this point, I thought I was going to wrestle her on my couch. Once she stopped, it felt even worse. I persevered with breastfeeding for further three days and then my husband and I both made the final decision to switch to a formula. In the end, my breasts returned to their original form although they felt even lumpier than before.

A year went by and I used to wonder why my right breast was releasing fluid occasionally. In my mind, I thought it was leftover milk and so I didn't take further action. Months later, I started recognising that I was tired more than usual but again didn't think anything at this point and put it down to having lots on my plate. I went back to work full time after my son was only three months old, becoming a Team Leader, waking up during the nights for feeds, studying ACCAs and going to the gym in the evenings. I was overdoing it and ended up hospitalised summer 2018 with high temperatures and tonsillitis which was my reality check to take more care.

2019 came around and I have been expressing that I was always extremely tired. This made no sense as I was eating healthily and exercising with moderation. I also found I was more forgetful which was impacting my daily routines. I decided to visit my doctor in May 2019, and she expressed that it could be down to stress, and that tiredness could naturally make us forgetful. The doctor advised me to keep a diary and to take one day at a time. Months went by and I felt no different, so I went back to visit my doctor in September 2019. This time however, I expressed that my tiredness intensified feeling like I was nine months pregnant. I was so tired that even my normal gym class felt like a marathon. I remember being at Studio 360 running on a treadmill with the biggest yawns on my face and PTs used to mention comments like, "late night Lenka?" or "come on Lenka, wake up!" and I would laugh it off although it was a continuous concern of mine as deep down I didn’t feel like my healthy self and I was pushing the doctor to do something and she finally agreed to do a blood test.

I eventually had a blood test booked in February 2020. The results came back with the following outcome - raised thyroid levels and a low immune system. Before I had a chance to say anything, the doctor stated: "Before I can issue out thyroid mediation, another blood test will be required in three months' time." I wasn't overly happy with that comment knowing I had to continue living with this extreme tiredness which was impacting my life. Covid lockdown was announced in March 2020 and I automatically knew I wasn't going to be priority over the pandemic and rightly so but nevertheless it was frustrating. 

Second blood test was agreed at last end of June 2020 and the results came back normal which outright made me irritated. The doctor essentially made me seem like I was senseless. I was still feeling extremely exhausted and there was nothing the doctor could do for me so in the end, I decided to ignore the tiredness and learnt to live with it.

It was a Friday evening in August 2020 and my husband, and I were watching TV. I was resting my right arm above my head and he leaned over to rest his hand on my chest - he asked me, "what's this?" I checked the right breast and felt my old lump and that wasn't what he discovered. At this point, I was floored that he found another lump. I wouldn't usually check my breasts laying down nor through the nipple area. The lump was imbedded deep within the breast tissue right beneath the nipple. I booked a telephone call with my doctor the following Monday and due to my history, I was automatically referred to the Southend Breast Clinic… the rest was history. I am currently 32 years old and on 23rd September 2020, I was diagnosed with a Stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

What's next you ask? My first round of chemo started on 19th October and appointments are three weeks apart for four sessions. Once they are completed, my Oncologist will modify the drug for further four sessions at bi-weekly intervals. A DNA gene test was issued by Great Ormond Street Hospital and the results will determine next phases of my recovery. I consider myself very lucky as I don’t carry the BRCA gene so as planned, I will finish eight rounds of chemotherapy by February, undergo a lumpectomy in April (Covid dependent) and then undergo radiotherapy in May/June at a guesstimate. 

I have gone through three rounds of chemo at this point and the body only allows me to do so much on certain weeks. I have my last round of EC drug over the Christmas week then I start Taxol from January. My life is filled with hospital appointments and the diary fills up quickly. I am scared at times and side effects can be tough, but I am strong, and I will continue to fight and certainly kick this breast cancer to the curb!

The two main reasons for sharing my journey with you are that I gave up too quickly to try to convince my doctor despite knowing there was something wrong with my body. The body was naturally weaker as something alien was growing inside it. Secondly but most importantly, I could have caught it sooner if I was doing regular and accurate examinations myself. By this, I mean checking every millimetre of the breast tissue standing upright and laying down. I am very keen to make awareness as cancer does not discriminate against age, gender or race so keep checking your bodies consistently and if something feels off, seek medical advice. Our bodies give us certain signals so act on them as early prevention could save your life!

I am determined to stay healthy and pleased to say that I have finished the One Month Marathon on 4^th November with six days to spare and I aim to sign up to other events in the near future.  To those who wish to help me raise the funds to Macmillan Cancer Support, you can do so by clicking on the donate button on this site. 

Thank you for taking your time to read my story and for your donations.