Nikki’s Story

Hi, I'm Nikki, 38 years old, married to an amazing guy named James. We've been together for almost 20 years, and we have a beautiful 6-year-old daughter named Isla. The last 8 months have been an absolute whirlwind, and it's crazy to think I still have a lot of treatment ahead of me.

I'll start at the beginning. I was in the bath when I noticed a small lump on the side of my right breast. In all honesty, I wasn't overly worried, as I'd found lumps before with no concerns, and my mum has extremely lumpy boobs but has always been okay too. The GP was amazing and got me an appointment straight away. Upon examination, they sent a request for me to be seen at the breast clinic in Doncaster. They were super speedy, and my appointment was only 5 days away - June 29th, 2023. At this point, I was still not overly worried and didn't really tell many people.

The main reason for not sharing was that this appointment was happening the day after my brother-in-law's funeral. He had died of brain cancer. So, my husband and I didn't want to panic or worry anyone and didn't want to steal the spotlight of the day. And I truly believed everything would be fine, so I didn't see the need to worry people over nothing. I was so adamant that I'd be okay that I went to the appointment alone (something I wouldn't recommend and wish I hadn't done).

June 29th - the day my world changed. I was told that the lump I'd found looked extremely concerning. I knew something was wrong when I had my ultrasound and mammogram, and then I was sent for another ultrasound where they inserted a clip and took a biopsy. The doctors were amazing on this day, so lovely and supportive. They told me how sorry they were that it wasn't better news and that the biopsy results would take around a week to confirm. I remember leaving the consultant's room in a state of shock, and then the tears came. I then realized I had to tell my husband, who'd just buried his brother and was still grieving, that it was very likely that I had cancer too, and then tell my parents.

July 6th, 2023 - The day the worries and concerns were confirmed. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 years old. The good news was it was measuring small, 27mm, and it appeared to be in the early stages. The breast team were brilliant that day with me, my husband, and my parents too. They explained everything that would happen next and what I'd be booked in for - MRI and CT scans to start. These two were to confirm their thoughts on the size and stage of the cancer. Then it would be an operation to remove the tumor, and then I'd have radiotherapy to ensure any microscopic cancer cells were blasted. They also explained that another test was being carried out on the biopsy, and this was to tell us the type of cancer. Now, before this, I truly had no idea there were different types of breast cancer. In my naivety, I thought there was just one type.

July 12th, 2023 - The day we discovered the type: HER2 Positive. This now changed everything. I remember receiving the call at work to tell me the type and that it meant that mine was more aggressive and faster-growing. This completely threw me. My hubby and I met with our cancer nurse, and she explained it all to us - she really is amazing. She gave us all the details in such a clear and simple way. But it did mean that the original plan had changed, and it meant that I now had to have chemotherapy as part of my journey. This was something I really did not want, as I knew the side effects, and I was really quite scared of it.

July 27th, 2023 – One of our better days of the journey. The scans confirmed that there was no sign of cancer anywhere else in my body, and the measurement was accurate at 27mm. The relief I felt that day was immense to say the very least.

September 6th, 2023 – The start of chemotherapy. Seven cycles in total to get through, every three weeks. I had the cold-cap treatment for my first chemo, hoping it would help with the hair loss, but sadly, it didn’t help. By September 12th, my hair was coming out in really large amounts and continued to do so for the next two weeks. By September 24th, my hair was thin, patchy, and my head was extremely itchy. I had it cut short in an attempt to help with the shedding and itching, and it worked for a couple of weeks.

October 16th, 2023 – I braved the shave. With the help of my husband, my daughter, and my parents, I took control of the situation and shaved the remaining hair off. It felt bloody brilliant and so exhilarating, empowering, and liberating. I expected to find it much harder and to be really emotional, as for those who know me, I had the longest and thickest hair, but it felt, for me personally, it was the right time, and I felt ready to do it.

The 6-month chemotherapy journey was an absolute whirlwind. It was good days, bad days, horrendous side effects, allergic reactions, and a hospital stay. I managed EC successfully and then moved to Docetaxel. When that didn’t go to plan, I moved to Paclitaxel, and then when that didn’t go to plan either, I moved to Abraxane. Thankfully, the third time really was the charm, and it worked with no allergic reactions or severe side effects.

January 9th, 2024 – A great day. A proud day. I was approached by the wonderful Phil Lado to write a piece for his book ‘Someone’s Survival Guide’. I received my copy through the post, and it felt amazing to see my words in print and to read the wonderful words and stories of the many survivors and fighters of this cruel disease.

January 17th, 2024 – This day marked the end of chemo, and I was so ready to ring the bell to mark this momentous occasion. Emotion completely took over, and I burst into tears the minute I began ringing the bell. I felt extremely lucky and privileged to be in that position as sadly not everyone gets to that.

January 19th, 2024 – A bloody brilliant day. I received my new MRI results that confirmed my tumor had shrunk from 27mm to just 7mm. I literally jumped for joy – it really was the best news. All the rubbish times of chemotherapy had been worth it as it had worked. The chemo has shrunk my cancer; it's now more than 3 times smaller than it was.

February 9th, 2024 – Today's date. I’m now awaiting my operation, booked for February 23rd. All I’ve got to do is shift this horrible cold that I’ve picked up and make sure I’m ready to take on the next massive step of removing the cancer that is left behind.

For those beginning their journey, it is hard. But you can do it, and it really is so helpful to find the silver linings and the good where you can.

-Nikki