Carol's story

“I know it sounds strange, but I even look forward to coming to hospital. The people are so lovely; it’s like a family here.”

Carol Kleeman, 62, from Kilburn, had to face every woman’s worst fear when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. However, she’s now back at work and looks so well, that people ask if she’s been away on holiday.

Carol, who works in retail, had no idea that anything was amiss, until a routine mammogram at Barts and The London Breast Care Centre picked up two small lumps in her right breast.

That was in September 2007 – and from then on, her life went into fast-forward. In November, she had a segmental mastectomy. This operation removed the cancerous part of the breast but preserved the nipple and as much healthy tissue as possible. She started on the drug treatment, tamoxifen, and in January, had radiotherapy. Just days after the radiotherapy finished, she was back at work again.

“My colleagues said I looked so well – they were shocked when I told them I was being treated for cancer. They thought I’d been abroad!” she says.

Carol has attended a support group at the hospital and has regular checkups. “I’m on my own, but the staff at the hospital are like family. My breast nurse Eileen Coles is wonderful, and the hospital is so relaxed and homely it’s stopped me from feeling nervous. I feel so well now, and given what I’ve been through, that’s unbelievable, really.”

Eileen Coles, her clinical nurse specialist, says: “It was a shock for Carol to find out she had breast cancer, and she was very anxious. I’ve helped her through this by answering her questions and being there for her when she needed me. It’s very fulfilling to see her so positive now and back at work.”

What is breast cancer?
In the UK, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. One in nine women will be affected by it during their lifetime – and the risk increases with age. There is a good chance of recovery if it is detected in its early stages. All women between 50-70 years of age of should be screened once every three years as part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme.