Chester breast cancer patient found lump when watching TV

The 31-year-old, from Chester, was stunned when she felt a lump in her left breast as she put her hands under her armpits to warm herself up.

Vicky was referred for tests and in November 2023 she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer and told she would require chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy.

Days after her diagnosis Vicky was due to go on a month-long trip to South Africa with her partner army captain, Mick, 32. But the dream holiday had to be cancelled.

The couple were going to spend Christmas with Mick’s family, and Mick had planned to ask Vicky to marry him while they were there.

But he didn’t let the cancer diagnosis scupper his plans and Mick proposed on a day out in Llandudno, just before Vicky started treatment.

Vicky Green while undergoing cancer treatment.

Vicky, a merchandiser for Regatta, said: “I remember thinking it probably wouldn’t be anything concerning at 30 years old. But when the doctor examined me, she actually found a second lump, and then I started to worry that it could be something serious.

“We’d saved up all our annual leave to fly to South Africa for the whole month and to spend Christmas with Mick’s family. But that all had to be cancelled and December was full of non-stop tests and hospital appointments.

"But we did manage to have some lovely days out instead and one day in Llandudno Mick proposed at the top of the Great Orme, it was just us and the sun was shining, it was lovely. He had planned on asking me to marry him in South Africa, but Llandudno was just as amazing. I’m so excited to get married as soon as we can when all this is over, and my hair has grown back.”

Vicky Green with partner Mick at the time she was engaged in Llandudno.

Doctors warned Vicky that she may not be able to get pregnant after chemotherapy, so she decided to freeze her embryos before starting treatment.

She is now coming to the end of 16 rounds of chemotherapy at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Wirral. Then she is due to have a mastectomy followed by radiotherapy in the summer.

Now, Vicky is urging as many people as possible to sign up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life event to help save lives like hers.

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with headline sponsor Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, is an inspiring series of 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.  

Events coming up in Cheshire include Delamere Forest and Birkenhead Park, Wirral on Sunday May 19, with Chester Racecourse on Sunday, July 7. For more information on the event types and the distances, visit raceforlife.org  .

Vicky added: “Research done by Cancer Research UK has literally saved my life, I did the Race for Life [at Chester Racecourse] just over 10 years ago. Never in a million years did I think that it’d be something that would impact me.

"I can’t take part this year because I’m going though treatment, but I’d encourage anyone to get involved it’s so much fun and you’re fundraising to save lives like mine.

“There is a lot of cancer in the family on my dad’s side, including his two sisters who have also had breast cancer. I was given genetic testing after my diagnosis, but I don’t carry any of the genes that would make me classed as high risk.

"This is another reason I think research is so important as there still might be something that we carry that just hasn’t been found yet and new discoveries could help detect cancer in the future.”

Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson in the North West, Jemma Humphreys said: “We are grateful to Vicky for her support and I know her story will make an impact on everyone who hears it.  

“No matter how cancer affects us, life is worth racing for. Sadly nearly one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime.

"Race for Life has the power not only to transform lives, but to save them. We’re proud that Race for Life has already helped double survival rates in the UK.   

“We’d love for as many people as possible to join us at Race for Life. There is an event for everyone, and we mean everyone. Walk, jog, run or take on the course however it suits best. It’s a chance to feel the power of moving together with fellow Race for Lifers and to treasure that moment of crossing the  finish line.  

“Whether people are living with cancer, or taking part in honour of or in memory of a loved one with the disease, or maybe they are in it for the medals or just for the fun of fundraising, there is a place for everyone.”  

Since it began in 1994, more than 10 million people have taken part in Race for Life, funding 30 years of hope and progress.  

Cancer Research UK funded scientists led the development of the Human Papillomavirus Virus vaccine, which is expected to prevent almost 90 per cent of cervical cancers in the UK. The charity also funded many large clinical trials looking at the effectiveness of the drug tamoxifen and the research shaped the way the drug is used to treat breast cancer today.