DEALING with the news that she had breast cancer was made easier for Ripley woman Anne Dolan due to the great support she received from her family.

Anne, 57, who lives at Argyll Road with husband Paddy, was diagnosed in June 2006.

She went to her GP with an inverted nipple, and within weeks she was in an operating theatre having her right breast removed.

"When I came home and told the family that it was suspected breast
cancer, I said 'you can cry once but that's it because it's something we can do something about'."

"I've always been really positive about it," added Anne.

After undergoing a mastectomy, Anne had eight months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, resulting in hair loss.

"I had a wig and wore it once, I felt like Nora Batty," said Anne, who is one of thousands of women who is diagnosed with breast cancer every year.

It is the most common form of cancer, with around 45,500 new cases every year and around 12,000 deaths. Someone is diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every 11 minutes. That's why October has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

On one occasion Anne went to stay with cousins in Florida and four out of five women at the dinner table had experienced breast cancer.

A survey carried out by Breast Cancer Campaign showed that only just over half of women check their breasts for changes once a month or more, and over a quarter admit they check their breasts for changes only a few times a year or less.

One in seven women never check their breasts at all.

"Don't overlook anything," said Anne. "Go to your GP because they will know.

"My lump didn't show up on the mammogram, it was found because it was big."

Anne, who visits an oncologist once a year and is still on medication, was treated at Derby City Hospital (now Royal Derby Hospital), which she says was fantastic, with great staff. But it was the support of her family that she believed really pulled her through.

"I had lots of support from all my family, including my son James and daughter Isabel," said Anne.

"Not everybody is as lucky as me to have family surrounding them. I had such a strong family around me, I am so grateful to them for all their support.

"When I was first diagnosed I received get well cards, then people forget, but one of my sisters-in-law sent me a card after every chemotherapy session – that's the sort of thing that is really supportive."

Anne has raised £2,000 for cancer charities since her diagnosis by holding events such as coffee mornings.

And although she has chosen not to have reconstructive surgery, she
said she would go through it all again to be as well as she is now.

"Every year is a bonus – with the treatment I get I should be here in ten years," she added.

On Friday, October 30, people will be encouraged to wear pink to raise money to fund breast cancer research.

For further information, click here.