'Nothing prepared me for the reality after discovery while breastfeeding my child'

A mum endured 15 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy after a discovery she made while breastfeeding saw her diagnosed with cancer. Lowri Mai Loader felt an unusually tough bit of skin while feeding her young son.

The previously healthy mum-of-two from Wales has spoken out about her fight to be diagnosed, as well as the impact an overstretched NHS is having on patients. After contacting her GP, she claims she had to press to get a referral to be checked, being told she was 'probably' too young for it to be cancer.

She was later diagnosed with aggressive form of breast cancer. Lowri has had chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. While treatment has been delivered by caring NHS staff, she says there have been repeated delays and mistakes.

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She did not end up starting treatment until 85 days after seeing her GP, she claims - over Wales' target of 62 days. Initially wanting to share her story to ensure other women check their bodies and act on any concerns, now she wants to raise awareness of the reality of being a cancer patient in 2023, reports Wales Online.

In July 2022, Lowri found an area of slightly thicker skin around 2cm in size. Having previously had mastitis when she stopped feeding her older daughter, she expected it was a blocked milk duct.

Her grandmother had a mastectomy at her age, which has led to her mum and her four sisters having regular checks.

"I had that in the back of my mind and I thought 'I'm going to check this out'," she said. "So I went to the GP at the end of August 2022. I remember them saying 'oh, it's probably nothing, it's probably related to