‘I ignored a worrying symptom for months, then got a devastating diagnosis - now I’m fighting it for my daughters’

“Being 31 and a single mum of two girls, I knew I had to fight - there was no other option. My girls needed me.”

Mum-of-two Becky Haigh had been ignoring a concerning lump in her breast for a few months back in October of last year. Candidly, she says it was only after encouragement from her own mother that she got it checked out – but could not have prepared for the news she was about to receive.

Devastatingly, Becky was told that she had breast cancer and began months of gruelling procedures including chemotherapy and surgery. Yet, as she waits to be told whether she is finally cancer-free, the 32-year-old is taking on a completely different challenge - entering the Greater Manchester Run while being treated for the life-threatening disease.

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Becky, from Wythenshawe, says she was determined to fight since her diagnosis in November. “I went to the doctors in October 2022 with concerns about the lump I had found on my breast,” said Becky.

“If I’m honest, I had ignored it for a few months, but after encouragement from my mum, I finally decided to get it checked out.

“After my doctor’s visit, I was officially diagnosed in November and the only words I remember hearing was ‘it’s super treatable’. Whilst my journey has been extremely challenging, those words gave me hope throughout the whole experience.”

Becky, an NHS complaints manager, started her first round of chemotherapy exactly a month after being diagnosed. She continued the intense treatment three times a week, before getting to ring the bell marking the end of her chemotherapy on March 16.

Following the chemotherapy, Becky had a lumpectomy and lymph nodes removed in April, and is now waiting