{"id":27178,"date":"2021-06-21T19:04:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T19:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmshub.wpengine.com\/?p=347406"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:14:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:14:52","slug":"31-year-old-woman-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-just-11-days-before-her-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/31-year-old-woman-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-just-11-days-before-her-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"31-Year-Old Woman Diagnosed with Breast Cancer Just 11 Days Before Her Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Gillian Spence<\/a> first noticed a suspicious lump in her chest at one of the most inconvenient possible times. She was just days away from her wedding day. She immediately scheduled an appointment to see her doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn between fake tan and getting my nails done, I was fitting in MRIs and blood tests,\u201d the 31-year-old recalls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gillian received her breast cancer diagnosis just 11 days before her wedding<\/a>. But she wouldn\u2019t know what kind, how far it had spread, or much else about it until after her wedding day. Gillian was forced to simply put aside her worries until after the big event.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Facebook\/Gillian Spence<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cMy husband knew, obviously. His parents knew, my parents and my twin sister knew, but I didn\u2019t want anyone else to find out,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to be a bride, and it would have made people feel differently towards me if they\u2019d known. So I was a bride that day, and it wasn\u2019t until I woke up the next morning that I thought, \u2018Okay, I\u2019ve got cancer.’\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After her wedding, Gillian learned more about her triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis<\/a>. She would need surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This would ensure that any stray tumors the MRI had not caught would also be killed off after the removal of her primary tumor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy nodes were clear, and my margins were clear,\u201d explains Gillian. \u201cBut because of the type of cancer I had \u2013 it\u2019s more aggressive \u2013 my consultant decided on chemo for me as part of a buckles-and-braces approach. Then it was onto radiotherapy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Facebook\/Gillian Spence<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gillian also had her eggs frozen and underwent testing for BRCA gene mutations<\/a> and other cancer-related genes. Her genetic tests came back clear, meaning her likelihood of experiencing a cancer recurrence is smaller than if she\u2019d been positive for one or more of the gene mutations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout it all, Gillian refused to ask \u201cWhy me?\u201d She says it would have been too hard to come back after starting down that road.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI tried not to blame myself for anything. At the time when I was diagnosed, I\u2019d never been fitter in my life,\u201d she says. \u201cIt did and still does play on my mind. Sometimes I think, \u2018Was there anything I could have done differently?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Facebook\/Gillian Spence<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gillian says she\u2019s had a hard time readjusting to her life with cancer. She\u2019s suffered from nausea, fatigue, hot flashes, and early menopause. She used a cold cap to reduce her risk of losing her hair during chemo, but it didn\u2019t work, which is just a small part of the reason she\u2019s been left feeling not so much like herself. She wore \u201cWinnie the Wig<\/a>\u201d after losing her hair to help her feel better.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just accepted that I was losing my hair and I had a real hair wig made,\u201d Gillian says. \u201cI had it cut and coloured to how I wanted it \u2013 this wig, who I called Winnie \u2013 was just beautiful. It made me feel like me, it was like a comfort blanket. I think some people didn\u2019t even realise I\u2019d lost my hair.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After completing treatment, Gillian was advised to shelter in place at home in Aberdeen with her husband, Andrew, and not to see friends and family due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That made things even harder to handle.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Facebook\/Gillian Spence<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI hugely felt out of control. I think I would have found it easier had life been busy when my treatment ended,\u201d she says. \u201cBut life was a bit slow in lockdown and it made my mental recovery harder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gillian is now cancer-free<\/a>, but getting back to her life after cancer has also proven tough. It has been hard for her to cope with not having the structure of cancer treatment or the support of her healthcare team behind her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I finished treatment, I thought I\u2019d go back to being Gillian. But when people asked how I was doing, it was hard to say I was struggling to navigate that bit, so I\u2019d say I was fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Facebook\/Gillian Spence<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cancer has changed Gillian\u2019s entire life perspective. It will likely not matter how long she lives cancer-free; cancer will always be in the back of her mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople live in the future \u2013 that\u2019s fine. But I don\u2019t do that now,\u201d Gillian says. \u201cI try to be content with what I have. My perspective has hugely changed, and in some ways, I\u2019m happier \u2013 I\u2019m very content with what I\u2019ve got. I consider material things a lot less, but I value experiences and time with people more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Facebook\/Gillian Spence<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the whole, Gillian is getting on with her life again and embracing the changes she\u2019s experienced.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would say I\u2019ve moved on now, and I\u2019m accepting of how my life has changed,\u201d she says. \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong though, it\u2019s hard sometimes. Living with the fear of a high cancer recurrence rate within five years is hard. But it\u2019s something I\u2019ve learned \u2013 or am learning \u2013 to live with. It\u2019s part of me now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Congratulations on becoming cancer-free, Gillian! We\u2019re so glad to see you\u2019ve turned this crazy experience into something positive for yourself and wish you all the best!<\/span><\/p>\n

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