October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as you know, this corner of The Impartial Reporter is a space to talk about all things women-related.

And, this week, it is a space to talk about all things breasts.

Around one in eight women in Northern Ireland will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, accounting for 30 per cent of all cancer in women.

I think it is only fair to be open and honest this week and declare my own interest before we begin.

I have had a horse in this race and am absolutely biased that all of us as women should be really familiar with our bodies, and have fast access to diagnosis and treatment – it could save our lives.

In June, 2017, as the world watched Theresa May lose her majority in the House of Commons, I accompanied my mum to the breast clinic in Altnegalvin after she noticed dimpling and a small area of swelling.

We joked as she sat in a pink tunic that this was like a twisted version of the X-Factor: a shrinking group of women following each round of tests across a morning.

As we sat together after examinations, mammograms and biopsies, the group making it through to the next round of tests grew more worried.

Less sound, less joking, less hope.

Then the words: “I am sorry to tell you that you have breast cancer.”

A few weeks later, we learned that it was ‘treatable, but not curable’, and for the next four years, we navigated life as a family with breast cancer.

Time was peppered with doctors’ appointments, next steps, hope, disappointment, isolation, sadness, support and care.

On May 11, 2021, just shy of four years after diagnosis, she slipped away in our home, surrounded by those who loved her, having had wonderful support from Marie Curie, a palliative care team, the District Nursing team, doctors in the SWAH and Altnegalvin, as well as friends and family.

My mother’s diagnosis prompted all the women in our family to check our breasts and become familiar with our own bodies.

Maybe reading this will encourage you to get familiar with yours. I had watched many documentaries and charity events for breast cancer over the years, always confident it would never be more than a storyline in a TV show for me.

I was wrong.

The first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue, but any change in our breasts should be checked by a GP.

In particular, a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts, discharge, a lump or swelling in either armpit, dimpling of the skin, or a change in the appearance of your nipple, including becoming sunken.

If we are really honest with ourselves, how many of us feel comfortable in front of a mirror with no top on, just looking at ourselves, never mind examining ourselves?

While it may feel strange at first, as with anything, practice makes perfect! Feel the fear, and check them anyway.

Breast cancer is a treatable disease, with positive outcomes for many women when diagnosed early.

The five-year survival rate is 97 per cent for early stage breast cancer, reducing to just 20 per cent at late diagnosis.

Positive outcomes are more likely when we examine our breasts and seek help early; www.knowyourlemons.com provides a useful, free app including guided examinations, risk factors, myth-busting and monthly examination reminders.

In Northern Ireland, a 14-day target is in place for urgent referrals of suspected breast cancer.

While the statistics vary regionally, there is some good news for those of us in the Western Trust district.

At the end of the quarter for March 2024, some 6,861 referrals were received for suspected breast cancer, of which 70.1 per cent were classified as ‘Urgent’.

In the Western Trust area, 99 per cent of patients were seen within the 14-day target

My own mother benefited from the speed of referral, and the care provided in North West Cancer Centre, even though we had caught it too late.

There are proactive steps which we can take to reduce our risk; maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption and not smoking are the usual suspects in terms of risk factor reduction.

Breastfeeding our children is another important way we can lower the risk.

Although we talk about the many benefits for baby, I rarely hear the health impacts for women discussed, and reduced breast cancer risk is an important one.

I am conscious that so far, I have only talked about the responsibility we as women have for our own health (ah, the patriarchy).

I am acutely aware that there will be families like ours reading this and thinking (as I did), “That ship has sailed”.

We are in the thick of treatment, or we know our time is short.

When we were travelling to Derry/Londonderry, although people only wanted to help, we struggled at times with ‘positive thinking’.

We didn’t identify with the common narrative that my mum was somehow a ‘warrior’, battling a disease.

It felt instead like here was a spectre in the room that we had to manage.

No amount of mass cards or apricots would get rid of it, and no amount of ‘cures’ made us feel any better.

Each person’s experience is unique, so don’t be afraid to be really clear with friends and family about what you need and don’t need.

What makes one person feel better won’t always be received in the same way by another.

Help and support is available, and much of it is really helpful.

Many online communities are available in the middle of the night to talk to other survivors.

Our very own SWELL here in Fermanagh was in its earlier stages in 2018 and successfully persuaded a 55-year-old, glamorous, non-swimming grandmother carrying an oxygen tank onto a boat for the first time in 25 years.

Practical help and emotional support are invaluable, so if you or someone you know has been diagnosed, reach out to Action Cancer, Cancer Focus, Breast Cancer Now or Pretty in Pink.

The more support, the easier it is to take each step.

This October, check your breasts and reach out for help if you have any worry that something isn’t quite right.

Kerrie Flood is Interim Chief Executive at Fermanagh Women’s Aid.