Derbyshire mum-of-two, 34, diagnosed with stage three breast cancer said breastfeeding saved her life

Katie Stanley, now 34, of Tansley, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2021, when her children were aged just two and four.

She only noticed the lump because her daughter Beatrice refused to breast feed.

It was a particularly aggressive form of the disease which required six rounds of chemotherapy, 15 rounds of radiotherapy, a mastectomy, reconstruction and ongoing drug treatment – in which time Katie learned the importance of the NGS Macmillan Unit at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

She said: “I was terrified. Not for me, but for my children. When I was in the room, getting that diagnosis, I remember saying ‘I don’t want to leave my children’. I didn’t want to die.

“When I was having my treatment, the nurses would look after me and we’d chat about things. They gave me advice on how to talk to the children about it without using jargon.”

She added: “They gave me a book called Mummy’s Lump to help them understand. My older child, Noah, was four at the time so was quite aware of what was going on and knew that mummy was poorly.

“We were very honest from the start and told them mummy’s poorly and is going to have some special medicine. Macmillan’s advice really helped.”

In 2021, Katie began to think about how to help other patients access the same kind of help, and launched an online fundraising appeal from her hospital bed, coinciding with her birthday, which raised more than £1,457 for the national Macmillan Cancer Support charity.

Katie said: “I thought I want to do something to give back as they’ve given so much time to me. There was nothing that was ever too much. They were always there with advice, or if I had questions or anything.

“When you have chemo, they’re there giving you the treatment. It was nice to have someone to talk to, as until you’ve experienced it, no one really knows what it’s like to be in that position.”

As she turned 33 last year, she decided to make it an annual tradition, and staged an event at the village hall raising £1,886.

On Friday, May 12, this year, she threw a coffee morning, cake sale and raffle which attracted donations adding up to £2,672, and a running total of £6,015.

In addition to the state-of-the-art medical facilities at Chesterfield Royal, Macmillan runs a Macmillan Information and Support Centre to help patients through their treatment and with other aspects of their life such as a welfare rights service and signposting to local support groups.

Amanda Horgan, regional fundraising manager for Macmillan, said: “It’s thanks to incredible supporters like Katie that we’re able to continue funding vital cancer support services so we can be there for people living with cancer in Derbyshire.

“From the nurses on our support line, to the local welfare benefits teams helping people cope with the cost of cancer, our services rely on people like Katie and every penny makes a difference.”

For information, support or just someone to talk to, call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk.

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