'I thought my breast cancer was an insect bite'

Rhian Gordon was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2024

A woman from Bristol has told of her shock after what she thought was an insect bite on her breast turned out to be cancer.

Rhian Gordon, 53, asked her partner to take a look after experiencing discomfort last November and was horrified when he discovered a lump.

Ms Gordon is sharing her story as part of BBC Radio Bristol's Wake Up Call series of live broadcasts, encouraging listeners to get checked for serious conditions.

After a lumpectomy, she was given the all clear when she was with her children and "cried tears of euphoria".

'How do I tell the children?'

Ms Gordon first started experiencing what she described as an "itchy boob" in November 2024.

A call to the GP led to an appointment at Southmead Hospital, where she received the diagnosis.

"You think cancer is always something that happens to somebody else, so it was kind of surreal," Ms Gordon told BBC Radio Bristol.

"It doesn't really sink in. They talk to you about it and you kind of leave having to process it all, and it was 'how do I tell my children?'"

A course of chemotherapy and immunotherapy started in December, but things did not go to plan.

"I had two cycles of three weeks, I was due to have six cycles, but unfortunately the immunotherapy caused inflammation of the heart," she said.

"[There's] a less than one percent chance of that so I consider myself quite special.

"So all treatment was stopped and it's really hard then when you hear the doctor say, 'I'm sorry we've got to put the cancer on hold to treat your heart.'

How do I check my breasts?

Ms Gordon was due to have a lumpectomy, where doctors remove the cancerous lump but leave the rest of the breast intact.

But when her treatment stopped, she said she thought about having the entire breast removed.

"'Initially I spoke to my surgeon and said I wanted a mastectomy," she said.

"Just, I think a knee jerk reaction, 'get it off. Take it away.'"

In the end though Rhian did stick to a lumpectomy, making a joke as to why.

"My decision to have the lumpectomy was simply me, being a larger lady, in the shower looking down thinking, 'I quite like having a buffer to my gut. So I think the boob will stay.'

"So I have my buffers!"

'Tears of joy'

Despite not receiving the full treatment as initially planned, three weeks ago Rhian was given the all clear.

"My children were with me and it was just tears," she said.

"Tears of joy, the euphoria.

"I was very, very lucky that even though I didn't have my full amount of chemo and immunotherapy, what I did have, they've completely got rid of it.

"And it was 3.5cm so it wasn't small, but when they went in there was nothing there but scar tissue."

Joe Sims (right) is doing a series of outside broadcasts promoting health checks, most recently at Empire Fighting Chance

She is now encouraging others to get checked regularly: "Check, get your partner to check, make a game of it.

"Check yourself regularly, even daily in the shower.

"If you do find something do go to your doctor straight away.

"It might be something, it might be nothing and just be aware there is support out there for you.

"It's a very scary place to be. Be prepared to wait, a lot of it is the waiting game which is frustrating, but yeah, just make the most of all the support networks you can."

On Friday 1 August at Ambition House a breast cancer screening expert will be on hand from 0730 BST until 1200 BST to answer any questions, as will an NHS roadshow team. No prior appointment booking is required.

Joe Sims will be live on air from 0600-1000 BST.