A Birmingham woman has described how her 'world stopped' when she was diagnosed with breast cancer on the same day as her niece's wedding, after doctors initially told her a lump was 'nothing to worry about.'
Initial Misdiagnosis
Jay Kaur, a 53-year-old counselling therapist, discovered a lump on her left breast during the pandemic in 2021. She said she 'didn't think anything of it' at first. Her doctor assured her it was 'nothing to worry about,' but due to her age, she was referred for further checks.
'They didn't think it was much,' she recalled. 'They sent me to a clinic where I had an ultrasound and they took a biopsy. They called it a fibroadenoma. The consultant gave me a leaflet and said, 'we think it's this, you'll come back and we'll just confirm it and then you'll be on your way.''
So confident was Jay of a benign outcome that she told her partner not to accompany her to the appointment. However, when she arrived, a specialist cancer nurse was waiting in the room.
The Devastating Diagnosis
Jay said: 'The three of us sat there and all of a sudden they said, 'we're really sorry to say that you have breast cancer.' I think at that moment your world just stops. I just broke down in tears. I was in shock.'
The devastating news came on the day of her niece's wedding, but Jay was determined not to miss the celebration. 'My partner met me and asked what we were going to do and I said, 'what do you mean? I'm going to the wedding.''
'I got dressed up, went to the wedding - danced, ate, drank.' She admitted that she spent parts of the day breaking down in tears in the bathroom before rejoining the festivities. 'A couple of times I did go to the bathroom and just broke down and cried, but I put my make-up on and went back in.'
Treatment and Resilience
Jay later underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, describing the experience as 'very, very difficult.' She said: 'The hardest part was telling my parents. It upsets me every time I think about it.'
Despite the gruelling treatment, she pushed herself to keep living life fully. She ran a half marathon in Manchester against medical advice, threw a 50th birthday party before getting the all-clear, and completed the London Marathon just six months after her treatment ended.
Celebrating Life
Almost five years on from her diagnosis, Jay recently took part in Breast Cancer Now's annual fashion show in London, which celebrates people living with and beyond the condition. 'This was an opportunity for me to show my friends and people I love, thank you, this is me and I'm living my life,' she said.
'People don't realise that it changes your life. I've totally changed as a person.'
