“By doing regular body checks, you considerably increase the chances of finding cancer early” – Jackie's experience

When mother-of-two Jackie Buxton from Huby discovered a lump in her breast, she made sure to ring her GP on the same day to book an appointment.

"I was in the shower, and I wasn’t actively checking my breasts for any changes,” she explained. “Instantly, I had this knee-buckling moment; I’ve had little things looked at before, but this one felt different.”

The GP receptionist booked Jackie in to see her doctor, but this wouldn’t take place until the following week. With her husband and children away, Jackie found her mind “spiraling” as she waited for the next seven days to pass. 

“I tried to put it to the back of my mind and started to believe there might not be anything wrong. I even convinced myself that the lump was shrinking! I wish I’d been able to speak to a doctor straight away.” 

At her appointment, Jackie described her symptoms, and her GP initially attributed them to changes in her hormones. Jackie was given the option to be referred immediately or come back in a month to see if anything had changed.

“I thought about how anxious I would feel having to wait for a month,” she said. “I figured it was better to be safe and check it wasn’t cancer, just in case. That turned out to be the best decision I could have made.” 

When Jackie’s test results confirmed that the lump was triple positive breast cancer, her consultant explained that it was fast-growing but there were good treatment options available as they had caught it early.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Yorkshire, with around 86 people diagnosed every week. If breast cancer is diagnosed early, there’s a higher chance all the cancer can be removed. 

Yorkshire Cancer Research funds vital research to help more women in Yorkshire feel supported to come forward with potential breast cancer symptoms and attend breast screening. The TRANSFORM programme, funded by the charity and led by researchers at Hull York Medical School, is a collection of projects designed to understand and address inequalities in early cancer diagnosis, including barriers to breast screening. 

Jackie went on to successfully receive chemotherapy, radiotherapy treatment, and Herceptin. Ten years after her diagnosis, she has finished her final round of hormone therapy and is cancer free.

Following her experience, Jackie has become an advocate for early diagnosis, educating other people about the importance of examining yourself for signs and symptoms of cancer. 

“When I found that lump in the shower, it was completely by chance. By doing regular body checks, you considerably increase the chances of finding cancer early. I recommend setting a reminder to check your body the first or the last day of the month – in fact, any date which will remind you to check yourself monthly.”

Wanting to give something back, Jackie joined the Research Advisory Panel for Yorkshire Cancer Research, performing a crucial role in helping the charity decide which research projects to fund.

Taking part in the Research Advisory Panel also showed Jackie the importance of funding research in Yorkshire. 

“Where you live has a huge impact on whether you attend your screening or go to your doctor about cancer symptoms, playing a huge role in when a cancer is diagnosed. You can’t answer the problem of early cancer diagnosis in a remote Yorkshire town by looking at inner city London. That's why Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding local projects, for the benefit of local communities.”