New mum was treated for a ‘blocked milk duct’… only to discover she had breast cancer
A NEW mother was being treated by doctors for a 'blocked milk duct' - only to discover she had stage three breast cancer.
Vickie McHugh, 34 from Birmingham, feared the worst when she found the lump in her right breast just weeks after her premature baby daughter was born in July 2016, but after a scan a doctor told her the mass was just a cyst from expressing milk.
For months, Vickie went back and forth to the hospital as medics treated the 'cyst' by draining fluid from it.
Despite their efforts, and tests on the liquid coming back clear, the lump kept growing back even bigger, leaving Vickie emotionally exhausted and in pain.
Vickie told the that it was only after a new specialist agreed to surgically remove the lump and take a biopsy that she was told she had stage three breast cancer.
Vickie said while having her daughter was 'a dream come true' the family's world came crashing down after her diagnosis.
She said: "[The diagnosis] was just one month after Olivia’s first birthday and I was terrified I wouldn’t see her grow up."
Vickie had a double mastectomy in September 2017, without reconstruction as the 7cm lump in her right breast was too big.
And while she had hoped for more children, next year Vickie will have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as she "wants to be here".
She said: "I want to move on with my life and enjoy the time I have with Olivia."
Now, the 34-year-old has spoken out ahead of Mother's Day to raise awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support and the services the charity offers.
She said: "This Mother’s Day falls just before my last chemotherapy treatment and once all this is over I can finally focus on just being mummy."
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