‘I was 40, fit and healthy, I didn’t think breast cancer would happen to me’

Pamela Brady is one of a number of women from Northern Ireland who discovered they had breast cancer during the pandemic.

The 41-year-old from Ballinderry, who works as a waiting list officer for the NHS, based at the Lagan Valley Hospital, had her breast cancer detected by Action Cancer’s screening service in July 2021.

In Spring 2021, two of Pamela’s closest friends had found lumps in their breasts and had both gone to their GP, who had then referred them for further assessment. This inspired Pamela to go and get checked.

Pamela discovered that a breast screening service was available at Action Cancer free of charge for women in their 40s and over the age of 70.

Due to high demand, appointments were booked up well in advance but Pamela was prepared to wait to the summer and there was a slot available on July 15. Thankfully both of Pamela’s friends had received the all clear from the breast clinic in the weeks running up to her Action Cancer appointment.

Pamela nipped out of work the morning of her appointment to attend Action Cancer House in Belfast for her first ever mammogram.

She said: “The staff were lovely, really helpful. I was slightly nervous going in because I didn’t know what to expect.

“I found the mammogram slightly uncomfortable but it wasn’t as sore as I had expected. I was in and out in 20 minutes, back to work and thought no more about it.

“Two weeks later, I received a letter from Action Cancer stating that something had been detected and further investigation was required.

“I was fortunate to get an appointment soon after on August 19 at the Breast Clinic at the Ulster Hospital at 9am.

“I knew that this appointment could take up to three hours.

“I was joking with the girls in work the day before, saying don’t worry, I’ll be back for my mid-morning tea break at 10.30am. In reality I was there for three hours and walked away with the devastating news of a breast cancer diagnosis.”

Pamela was told she would definitely need surgery and possibly chemotherapy, radiotherapy and medication.

She had day procedure surgery to remove the lump in her right breast on September 15. Four lymph nodes were removed to check to see if the cancer spread elsewhere around the body.

At the end of September, Pamela had a follow up appointment and was informed that the good news was that the cancer had not entered the lymph nodes and spread. However, she would need six rounds of chemo, 10 sessions of radiotherapy and Tamoxifen for five years but it was all preventative measures to minimise the risk of Pamela receiving a secondary diagnosis.

One year on from diagnosis, Pamela is now cancer free and doing well.

“I was 40 years old, a fit and healthy woman when I received my diagnosis. If it happened to me, it could happen to you.”

“I am so thankful to Action Cancer for continuing their breast screening service during the pandemic and my care in the NHS was second to none and not negatively affected in any way by Covid-19.”

Pamela was told that she never would have found the lump herself through regular self-checking due to where it was located in the breast.

“My cancer was determined to be at Grade 3 - the type which grows at the fastest rate.

“My consultant radiologist told me that if it had not been for Action Cancer detecting my breast cancer early, I may have not have made it to 50 - the age that the NHS routine screening kicks in. Had I survived by this point, I could have been facing a terminal diagnosis. My message is clear - get checked out and book your appointment today. Early detection saves lives.”

Action Cancer this week unveiled its Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign, taking place during October. Ambassadors for the charity and partners gathered together at Action Cancer House in Belfast for a special celebration event.

Joanna Currie, consultant radiographer, said: “Like any organisation, Covid-19 brought a massive challenge to Action Cancer. However, I was determined, with the support of the highly professional team of radiographers here, that we would reopen the breast screening service as soon as we possibly could with Covid-safe measures in place. It is so heartening to now see how the team’s dedication has resulted in lives being saved. We have opened up new breast screening appointments for October onwards, so ladies please book your mammogram today.”

Action Cancer’s state-of-the-art 3D screening technology Digital Breast Tomosynthesis can locate cancers which are the size of a grain of rice.

The charity detects six cancers for every 1,000 screenings, with the majority of women receiving reassurance.  

Women aged 40-49 and 70+ can book an appointment online at www.actioncancer.org or by calling 028 9080 3344. Keep an eye on the website for upcoming Big Bus visits.