Now, a mum has come out to raise awareness for other women, after being left fighting for her life with breast cancer, despite being told that she was ‘too young’ to have the disease.
Ashley Daly, a 27-year-old mother-of-one, told MailOnline.com that she first noticed a lump on her breast last year, at the age of 26.
After going to see her GP, she was referred to hospital, where her fears were initially allayed.
“After the first appointment, the doctor recommended that I go to the hospital and get an ultrasound. They reassured that because of my young age, it was probably just fatty tissue and not cancer. They said it was perfectly common,” she said.
Six months later, however, Ashley found that not only was the lump still there, but it had grown in size, ‘completely changing’ the shape of her breast. Her nipples also looked inverted, prompting her to book another appointment with her GP.
Ashley was referred for an emergency hospital appointment and, after undergoing a biopsy, she received the news that she had stage three cancer.
She is currently undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for having a double mastectomy.
Urging other women to be aware of the symptoms of breast cancer, she said: “I’m disappointed that I was initially dismissed because of my age. A more comprehensive test might have shown the lump for what it was. It just shows that you are never too young.”
