Fighting for a Proper Diagnosis
- Faye Downing, 25, had a painful lump on her breast but was turned away TWICE at the clinic by medical staff who said she was too young for breast cancer.
- The mom-of-two was told her breast changes were simply due to breastfeeding her newborn. When she finally received her diagnosis, she found out the breast cancer had spread to her brain and other parts of her party.
- Now on a mission to advocate for others as she fights, Faye is urging for people to get a second opinion when they feel anything is amiss, especially if they are presenting a lump.
The mom-of-two was told her breast changes were simply due to “breastfeeding a newborn baby.”
Read MoreSpeaking on behalf of the devastated mother to YorkshireLive, the family says “she continues to fight so hard and be so brave for her children she's gone through countless rounds of chemotherapy of all different kinds but it keeps failing on her.”
“We are incredibly proud of Faye,” her sister Hannah Turner, 36, said. “She's been amazing through all of this never moaned once and just carries on as normal. She is bossing this awful disease.”
“Bossing” is right, as Faye is nowhere near giving up.
Now on a mission, not only for herself, but other shunned patients and young people, the family said that one of Faye's wishes is for everyone to go and get “every lump checked, even if it means second opinions.” We concur, second AND third if needed. Human life is just too precious. Ultimately, you are in charge of your own body.
‘You Are Your Own Best Advocate’
No matter how young you are, do not let anyone put off your concerns. We have to advocate for ourselves and each other to defeat these diseases and anyone else who gets in the way of a proper diagnosis.
Getting Diagnosed with Breast Cancer at a Young Age
Faye received her devastating diagnosis at age 25, a relatively young age to receive a breast cancer diagnosis. Organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Cancer Society recommend women start getting yearly mammograms (breast cancer screening) when they turn 45 years old, though many experts say 40and other professionals even argue that 35 should be the new standard.
In the U.K., where Faye lives, women aren't eligible for routine mammograms until they turn 50 years old. The current recommended age for breast screening in the U.K. is between 50 and 70 years old.
Aggressive Breast Cancer in Young Women
Breast cancer mostly occurs in older women, but it's possible for women under the age of 45 like Faye to be diagnosed.
In fact, about 9% of all new breast cancer cases in the United States are found in women younger than 45.
“A diagnosis for a younger woman can often be even more devastating,” Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, previously told SurvivorNet. “This is because the cancer is likely to be a more aggressive form of the disease and also at an advanced stage (like in Faye’s case, considering her cancer is metastatic), as screening for younger women isn't standard.”
As the medical world catches up to the fact that more and more women are getting diagnosed with breast cancer, performing self-checks on your own breasts can be done at any age, and your doctor can help examine you at your annual women’s exam.
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