June 17th 2023.
Strictly Come Dancing favourite Amy Dowden recently underwent surgery to combat grade three cancer. The 32-year-old dancer had found a lump in her breast just one day before her honeymoon to The Maldives with her new husband Ben Jones, and saw a doctor upon her return.
The surgeons removed two tumours, three cancer ‘specks’, and some lymph nodes from Amy’s right breast. She is now back at home recovering but cannot easily move her right arm and requires assistance to get ready.
Despite the hardship, Amy explains that ‘this is the first day I have felt like Amy’ as the ‘cancer is in the lab now’. She revealed to The Mirror that the hardest time was waiting for surgery, thinking ‘I have cancer inside me’. She found the feeling ‘disgusting’ and that was the time she was randomly crying, emotional.
Now, Amy has to wait one week for the histology report, which will explain what stage the cancer is at now and decide whether further treatment is needed. The doctors were able to reconstruct her breast, and although she hasn’t looked, Ben has reassured her that everything is ‘normal’.
Amy also lives with Crohn’s disease, which is a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed. Discussing the importance of being breast aware, Addie Mitchell, clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Now, explains that there is no right or wrong way to check your breasts.
Initially, Amy felt that having to deal with two illnesses was unfair. She recalled feeling after being given her diagnosis, ‘I’ve had enough to deal with in my life with my Crohn’s. It’s not fair.’ Now, she feels that anger won’t help and she is planning to meet with a fertility expert so she can give herself the best possible chance of becoming a mum in the future. Her doctors have ‘promised’ to do what they can to help her.
Giovanna Fletcher was pivotal in the discovery of the lump, as Amy began checking her breast after doing the CoppaTrek! – a 100km walk to raise money for breast cancer charities. Amy explained that ‘CoppaFeel! has now potentially saved my life, because I don’t know how long this lump could have been there before I would have noticed and done something about it.’
Amy’s surgery and recovery have been difficult, but she is extremely grateful for the ongoing support she has received from her family, friends, and fans. She is now looking forward to finding out the results of her histology report and taking the next steps in her journey.
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