ONE in every 12 women in Britain will develop breast cancer, that's 32,000 women in total each year and almost half of them will die.

It's the depressing reality of a devastating disease, but it can be stopped - if it's caught early enough.

And the best way to ensure early detection is to be breast aware!

Ask your GP about going for screening - every woman has a right to be screened and women aged 65-plus are particularly vulnerable with two thirds of deaths from breast cancer occurring in this age group.

Check your breasts for changes at least once a month. (Pick up a leaflet from your GP or the hospital to find out exactly how to do that.) Early detection could save your life, as it did in the case of Fulwood woman Jean Clementson.

WHEN Jean Clementson first noticed a patch of rough skin on her breast she knew it could mean cancer but didn't want to admit it.

"It's nothing," she told her husband: "Just a spot of eczema." But deep down she was terrified.

"I was scared stiff of breast cancer," she said: "When you're threatened with something like that, your emotions are absolutely at sea.

"One bit of you is saying I don't want to know about it, the other is being sensible and saying go to your doctor."

Within two weeks, Jean was in hospital having a mastectomy, the operation to remove a breast.

"I didn't have time to think about it," she said: "It was a horrendous ordeal. I came home and I didn't know what to expect next."

Jean was left wondering whether she would have to go to Christie's for chemotherapy. She thought she was going to lose her hair. "It was a great relief when the doctor told me it could be treated with tablets," she said.

Because Jean had acted almost immediately, the mastectomy and the tablets proved treatment enough.

It's five years since Jean was first diagnosed but she's only just stopped taking medication, and still has check-ups every six months.

Jean was lucky - she has a supportive husband, Richard, and a loving family, who were always there for her and helped her through the worst, such as when she was afraid to go to town on her own.

But there were some practical issues the family couldn't help with, such as where to buy a bra and what sort of bathing costume to go for.

That's what led Jean to help set up a support group for women who have lost a breast through cancer.

The group meets on the first Wednesday of every month at Sharoe Green Hospital.

Members of the group also attend Vine House Cancer Help Centre which offers complimentary help to all cancer patients, in the form of support groups, counselling, craft workshops, aromatherapy, physiotherapy, etc. To find out about Vine House and the support group, call 793344.

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