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'I WAS TERRIFIED'

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.

 Vickie McHugh and her one-year-old daughter Olivia
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Vickie McHugh and her one-year-old daughter OliviaCredit: Facebook

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.

 The family's world came 'crashing down' after her diagnosis
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The family's world came 'crashing down' after her diagnosisCredit: Facebook/Vickie McHugh
 Vickie said that after she was diagnosed with cancer she was 'terrified' she wouldn't see her daughter grow up
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Vickie said that after she was diagnosed with cancer she was 'terrified' she wouldn't see her daughter grow upCredit: Facebook/Vickie McHugh
 Vickie had a double mastectomy in September 2017, and will have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed next year
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Vickie had a double mastectomy in September 2017, and will have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed next yearCredit: Facebook/Vickie McHugh

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."

 Vickie pictured with her daughter Olivia and her husband Adam
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Vickie pictured with her daughter Olivia and her husband AdamCredit: Facebook
 The 34-year-old mum has just completed her fifth round of chemotherapy
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The 34-year-old mum has just completed her fifth round of chemotherapyCredit: Facebook/Vickie McHugh
 Vickie said she can finally just focus on 'being mummy' now
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Vickie said she can finally just focus on 'being mummy' nowCredit: Facebook/Vickie McHugh

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."

 

TV3’s Elaine Crowley gets a tattoo to honour her terminally ill friend and help raise awareness for Breast Cancer


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