Megan's story

My name is Megan, I’m 32 years old and I live in Cornwall with my husband, Oli, my naughty terrier, Jimmy, and my beautiful cat, Trev. I’m a born and bred Cornish girl and am very proud to call this special place my home. I love nothing more than a walk on the beach or in the woods, and spending time with my family. 

I’m passionate about the environment and recently started a sustainable side hustle business, called A Novel Idea. Using pre-loved books, I produce unique advent calendars and gift bundles. In January 2022, all of this came to a grinding holt.  

I woke up one morning to feel a lump on the underside of my left breast. I went to the GP the very next day and got referred to hospital. In February 2022 at the age of 31, I was diagnosed with HER2 positive grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast and lymph nodes. It’s cliché, but I genuinely never expected it to happen to me.  

It was a very tough ride 

My consultant explained that my cancer was treatable, but the process would be an intense one, using many treatment methods. Over the course of 10 months, I endured a potent chemotherapy and targeted therapy regime, lymph node removal and mastectomy surgery with reconstruction and radiotherapy.  

As well as the endless list of expected side effects like losing my hair and fingernails, sickness, mouth ulcers and fatigue, in April last year, I was admitted to hospital with sepsis and deep vein thrombosis.  

Despite all this, the trauma was worth it, as after my chemotherapy, I was told I had had a 'full pathological response’ to treatment. This means the cancer had been completely destroyed. I have now started a 3-to-5-year course of Tamoxifen medication, and later this year, I’ll undergo a second surgery to have my temporary expander implant replaced with a more permanent one.  

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my first experience of breast cancer 

My mum also had to undergo radiotherapy, lumpectomy surgery and tamoxifen treatment several years ago. Despite me having negative results in the genetic testing and regularly checking my breasts since mum’s diagnosis, I still found myself the victim of this terrible disease.  

1 of my main focuses and coping mechanisms throughout my treatment has been concentrating on the fact that despite my situation, I was in fact “lucky”. I have lost a young friend and my boss to cancer since my diagnosis. It felt important to me to try and make a difference in any way I could, especially because of my age.  

I want to raise awareness on a large scale  

When I saw the advert for a photoshoot for wear it pink, I saw another opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone whilst raising awareness. The day I saw the advert was a year to the day from my initial diagnosis. It was clearly meant to be, and I didn’t hesitate. 

It was a really wonderful experience, the likes of which I’ll probably never have again. I was made to feel special and for once forgot about the things I don’t like about the ‘new me’. Having flour thrown all over me was not something I was expecting. 

Wear it pink is an opportunity for the whole country to come together  

Breast cancer is incredibly likely to affect each and every one of us in our lifetime, regardless of  age, sex, race, family history or health status. Breast Cancer Now couldn’t have made it simpler with the wear it pink campaign. We all own or could borrow a piece of pink clothing. Wearing that item for 1 day could literally change someone’s life. Even if all it is a reminder to check your breasts, who knows, it could change yours too.