A breast cancer survivor has backed a charity campaign which aims to shine a light on the reality of the disease.
Former television news reporter Louise Stewart has chosen to help launch Scotland Cancer Research UK’s Right Now campaign calling for immediate action to raise vital funds to help more people survive.
The 44-year-old, who grew up in Lossiemouth, was diagnosed with cancer in her left breast last summer, only to be given the devastating news, just nine days later, that it was also in her right breast.
She said: “Being diagnosed with cancer was pretty grim.
“I couldn’t believe that I’d gone from thinking I was fit and well to being plunged into a world where I had cancer.”
The Aberdeen University graduate, who worked for STV news in Aberdeen for five years, has interviewed politicians including Tony Blair, David Cameron and Jermey Corbyn during a high-flying career which also included working as a BBC Scotland political journalist in Edinburgh.
She decided to visit her GP after experiencing pain in her left breast, and was referred to hospital for a mammogram.
Although this showed up nothing, an ultrasound picked up a mass in her left breast and she had a biopsy the same day.
Louise said: “I didn’t think it would be cancer.
“I’d had a cyst in my breast a couple of years before and I just assumed it would be something like that.
“When I went to get the results, there was a nurse sitting in the waiting room and as soon as I saw her I knew.
“Nothing can prepare you for the news.
“I couldn’t take it in.”
Although both cancers were caught in the early stages, the next step was a double lumpectomy – surgery to remove the cancer in both breasts – followed by 15 days of radiotherapy.
She will soon begin taking the drug Tamoxifen daily for the next five years.
She said: “Although I was told it’s rare to have cancer in both sides at the same time I feel incredibly lucky that it was found so early.”
Louise, who is now head of communications at the Federation of Small Businesses, urged people to help fund Cancer Research UK’s crucial work.
For more information on how to help beat cancer sooner, visit www.cruk.org
