Teaching assistant Georgia Chapman was getting ready for her 26th birthday party over Zoom last April when she felt a lump in her breast.
It was the start of a long and traumatic journey for the Cardiff resident who would be diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and told her treatment would affect her fertility.
“When I was in the shower, I felt a big golf ball-size lump in my left breast. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it,” recalled Georgia, from Rumney.
“That was on the Friday, so I called the doctor on the Monday, first thing. Due to its size, the doctor referred me to the breast clinic and she also gave me some antibiotics as she thought it could have been a cyst.
“I went to the breast clinic and I remember the consultant being surprised at the size of the lump. They thought it was about 6cm in size. They drained the cyst and told me to come back in two weeks for another appointment.
“But before that appointment my breast doubled in size and I had shooting pains in my chest. The day before my appointment, I rang the clinic crying my eyes out and asked if they could see me earlier and they said they could. They then drained the fluid and took a biopsy.”
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Two weeks later, Georgia went to University Hospital Llandough for her results.
“Because of Covid, I had to go in on my own,” said Georgia. “They asked me if I had anyone with me. I told them my mum had just dropped me off so I could call her to come back to the hospital.
“They then told me ‘unfortunately, you have cancer.’ I felt like I was numb. It felt like the floor had just gone beneath me. It was a strange moment because I didn’t cry, it was a minute of pure silence.
“They sent me straight away for a mammogram and another biopsy. I was taken by this junior doctor and she was lovely.
“I had a mammogram and then my mum arrived, and I just broke down. It was such a hard day.”
Georgia was diagnosed with stage 3, triple negative breast cancer and was told she would need seven rounds of chemotherapy and one week of radiotherapy.
She will also have a double mastectomy in a few weeks’ time and will need to wait a further 12 months for reconstructive surgery.
Triple negative breast cancer accounts for around 15% of all breast cancer cases. Its cells don’t have receptors for the hormones oestrogen and progesterone which has an impact on the type of treatment offered.
Georgia said: “I have triple negative breast cancer which is the most aggressive type. It’s the most uncommon breast cancer as it’s non-hormonal.”
But before Georgia was due to start treatment, she had another obstacle to face.
“After I found out I had cancer, I went home and calmed down with a cup of tea when my nurse called.
“She asked me ‘do you want children?’ as the treatment can affect your fertility. I hadn’t even thought about having children but knew I would want them in the future.”
Georgia was referred to the fertility clinic in Neath before starting her cancer treatment.
She said: “I had 12 days of injections and I produced loads and loads of eggs. I was fortunate to have 24 eggs frozen. I felt awful as I was sat next to some ladies who were really struggling to produce eggs.
“If I do become infertile, I know my eggs are there waiting for me. After fertility treatment, I started chemo three days later.
“My biggest fear was losing my hair. I had such long hair and it’s a huge part of my identity. I used the cold cap and that worked really well for me. I’ve lost around 40% of my hair which I’m pleased with.”
Georgia was offered genetic testing and went on to discover she has the BRCA gene.
“When I found out I had the BRCA gene, I went into a really strange head space,” said Georgia. “I’d just had my eggs frozen and then to find out I had this gene meant there was a 50% chance my children would have the gene as well. It was really hard.
“I also found out I’d need to have my ovaries removed at 40 to minimise the risk of having ovarian cancer.”
Georgia is keen to support research which is why she has signed up for the PARTNER trial which is funded by Cancer Research UK.
Georgia was thrilled to finish her last round of chemotherapy on November 18: “I was very excited about ringing the bell! After my first round of chemo, my breast went back down to normal size. It’s incredible seeing the impact of treatment. The next step is surgery and then easing back into ‘normal’ life.”
And Georgia has faced her cancer journey in the only way she knows how, with positivity and resilience.
Although she’ll be recovering from surgery, Georgia is looking forward to a special Christmas with her loved ones and is proud to be supporting Cancer Research UK’s Play Your Part campaign.
By sharing her story, Georgia hopes that she can inspire people in Wales to make a difference.
She said: “With Christmas on the horizon, I’m so grateful for the treatment I’ve had. I’ve been given the greatest gift of all – more precious moments with my loved ones. So, I hope people will donate this festive season and help give hope to many more families like mine.”
Thanks to its supporters, Cancer Research UK’s work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been at the heart of progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.
The charity’s ambition is to see three in four people survive their cancer by 2034.
Ruth Amies, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Wales, said: “We are grateful to Georgia for her support. Cancer is relentless but so are we. We will never stop striving to find better treatments, but we can’t do it alone.”
And Georgia has some important advice for young women.
She said: “No-one thinks about people in their 20s having cancer. That’s why it’s so important for people to check themselves. There’s a bit of a taboo around checking your breasts, but I can’t stress how crucial it is. If I hadn’t felt that lump and gone to the GP, things would be so much worse.”
Sharing her experience on social media has also provided much comfort for Georgia.
She said: “Blogging my experience on social media has been such a great outlet for me.
“It’s one of the best things for my emotional wellbeing. It’s been cathartic to document my experience and look back to see how far I’ve come. It’s also about raising awareness. There could be women walking around with breast cancer and they don’t know because they haven’t checked themselves.”
And Georgia would like to say a special thank you to the doctors and nurses who have looked after her.
“I feel so grateful to the NHS. I can’t fault how quickly I stated treatment and how well I’ve been looked after.
“The nurses at Velindre are just incredible and I feel lucky we have our amazing NHS.”
In the Wales, around 19,300 people are diagnosed with cancer every year.
Cancer Research UK was able to spend around £4 million in Wales last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.
Donate to support life-saving research at cruk.org/donate
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