'I thought I had problems from not breastfeeding. The reality was so much worse'

A distraught mum who mistook her breast cancer for a blocked milk duct says the aggressive disease has returned for a second time.

Stacey Withington, from Bolton, first started experiencing symptoms in June 2022 just weeks after giving birth to her daughter Sophia.

The mum-of-two noticed red blotches on one of her breasts and assumed it was a blocked milk duct from not breastfeeding.

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The 36-year-old visited a doctor and was placed onto an urgent referral in a bid to identify the mystery marks.

Two weeks later, the mum, who lives in the Deane area, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in both breasts – an aggressive and fast-growing cancer.

“I didn’t have a lump as such,” the mum, who works as a psychologist, told the Manchester Evening News.

“I noticed the skin felt like orange peel and I had red blotches and bruising. As I’d just had a baby, my boots had felt harder and different anyway for a while.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was expecting antibiotics but was told I needed chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. It was overwhelming.”

Stacey was placed onto chemotherapy immediately and continued with a different type of treatment every week for around six months. When the course was finished, she was given the all-clear.

But tragically, just before Christmas 2023, a six-month MRI scan revealed her worst fear – the cancer had returned in her right breast.

“That was really difficult because I was just recovering from my first fight,” she told the MEN. “My hair was growing back, my health was coming back, my strength. Now it’s going to go all over again. I have two young children who are on this journey with me all over again.”

The mum