- Karen Williams and Diane Leach also had surgery on the same day
- Were both diagnosed in February last year and are now recoveringÂ
- Having a mother who had breast cancer doubles a woman’s riskÂ
By
Daily Mail Reporter
05:57 EST, 25 April 2013
|
19:53 EST, 25 April 2013
Karen Williams and her mother, Diane Leach, were both diagnosed with breast cancer on the same day
When Karen Williams found a lump in her breast, she and her husband went to break the bad news to her mother.
They were astounded when Diane Leach told them that she had found a lump in a breast, too.
Their worst fears were confirmed when both were subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer on the same day, having unwittingly been in the same queue for a mammogram.
The coincidences didn’t end there, however. For mother and daughter were then operated on by the same surgeon in the same hospital on the same day.
Mrs Williams, 41, and Mrs Leach, 65, are now well on the way to recovery from their cancers.
The chain of coincidence began after Mrs Williams, a mother of four from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, discovered a pea-sized lump in her breast while showering.
‘I didn’t like the feel of it. Straight away I thought it was cancer,’ she said.
She and her husband Stuart Burnside went to tell her mother at her home in Chester.
‘I told her I’d found a lump, and she said, “So have Iâ€. I thought she was joking,’ said Mrs Williams, who works as a beauty consultant at Boots.
‘I went to my GP and she went to hers. The doctor thought it might just be a cyst, but I knew.
‘I went for a mammogram a few days later and didn’t realise my mum was also going. Stuart saw her as we were in the queue.
‘It was a crazy situation to both be
diagnosed on the same day and my two sisters and my dad didn’t know what
to do with themselves – they didn’t know who to visit.’
Both women went for surgery at the Countess of Chester Hospital on the same day last year.
The mother and daughter also underwent surgery on the same day, at the same hospital
Mrs Leach, who has retired from a
carpet fitting business, underwent a mastectomy while her daughter had a
tumour removed from her right breast, tissue from her left and had
both breasts reduced.
They were even in adjoining wards after their surgery and could bang on the wall to each other.
‘On the day of our operation, the
consultant at the hospital couldn’t believe that we had been diagnosed
on the same day and would be undergoing our operation on the same day,’
Mrs Williams said. ‘She said that in 40 years in the NHS she had never
seen anything like it before.’
Even more astonishing is the fact that there were no genetic factors linking their diagnoses.
‘The breast cancer we had is not
hereditary and can happen to any woman, at any time. It is just a case
of bad luck that we were both diagnosed at the same time,’ Mrs Williams
said.
‘It was a really hard period to go
through but we have a wonderful family who supported us all the way
through it, and continue to be there for us.’
Mother and daughter were both treated at the Countess of Chester Hospital
After receiving support from Macmillan
staff during their treatment, she was full of praise for their work and
the support they offer to patients.
‘The chemotherapy was really, really
severe and there were some really dark days when I thought I just
couldn’t carry on going,’ Mrs Williams said.
‘Having a wonderful family and
husband around me, as well as the support given by Macmillan, helped me
keep going and now, thankfully, I am starting to get back to some sort
of normality.
‘I have gone back to work recently at
Boots, which I have loved and everyone has been great, but I think that I
might like to try a different career path and work with those affected
by cancer.
‘It has really had a profound effect on both me and my mum.’
Having finished their courses of
chemotherapy, the mother and daughter are now hosting a charity event
in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care.
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so pleased that they are both doing well and well on the road to recovery, having had two Aunts with the same horrible disease who sadly didn’t make it I can imagine the terror, stress and dark days that they have undoubtably endured and I wish them a very long and happy life. I do however find it strange that even though they knew each other had found a lump they didn’t tell one another about their appointments and they bumped into on another at the hospital…… anyways I’m pleased they had successful treatment, they are praising providing great ‘success’ stories for the hospital and hopefully giving others hope who are sadly going through the same awful time either now or in the future I just hope they learn to talk to one other a bit more in the future
frankie
,
cheshire,
25/4/2013 21:21
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Wishing both mother and daughter well and stay positive
Selasie123
,
Perth, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 18:21
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I wish both mother and daughter good health and God’s blessings to the wonderful surgeons and nurses who care for us. As a cancer patient myself, I I know how hard it can be sometimes
Selasie123
,
Perth, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 18:15
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AND THEY ARE SMILING !!!!!!
Tanis
,
Marlow,
25/4/2013 16:33
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good luck to bother mother and daughter its hard I know, been there worn the tea shirt…….good to know u are both positive.
netts
,
fordingbridge hants, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 16:31
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This woman bears a striking resemblance to Judi Dench!!!
Kommit
,
Woodman USA,
25/4/2013 15:36
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And this is news because? – Niall , Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 25/4/2013 13:13 HOW Heartless!! Bet you wouldn’t be saying that if someone close to you had been diagnosed with breast cancer!
Kate_31
,
London, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 15:36
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Niall, Newcastle, you should apologise for your comment.
Do you have any idea the physical and emotional agony those women have endured.
Callous does not even come near to describe your posting.
May God forgive you
maggie
,
FORT WILLIAM, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 15:36
Report abuse
Niall, Newcastle, you should apologise for your comment.
Do you have any idea the physical and emotional agony those women have endured.
Callous does not even come near to describe your posting.
May God forgive you
maggie
,
FORT WILLIAM, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 15:36
Report abuse
Niall, Newcastle, you should apologise for your comment.
Do you have any idea the physical and emotional agony those women have endured.
Callous does not even come near to describe your posting.
May God forgive you
maggie
,
FORT WILLIAM, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 15:36
Report abuse
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