Breast cancer: 'Scratching an itch saved my life'

"If just one person sees my story and gets something checked out, I’ll feel like I’ve done my job" said Minnal Ladva

A woman who was treated for breast cancer after she scratched an itch said her experience proved it was "important to check your body".

Minnal Ladva, 42, from Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, said three cancerous lumps were discovered after she was referred by her GP to a breast cancer clinic.

She underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

"Scratching an itch saved my life because it made me find a lump that I didn’t know was there," she said.

She is due to take part in the Race for Life in Watford on 10 June, where she will ring the bell, "to mark the end of this chapter and the beginning of my second chance at life".

Minnal said surgery and chemotherapy left her "vulnerable" and she had counselling to help her get through it

The mother of two said she found the "tiny lump" on 26 December, 2021, after she scratched the side of her breast.

"I thought it might be a sebaceous cyst but wanted to get it checked," she said.

She was referred to the breast clinic at St Albans City Hospital, where tests revealed three cancerous lumps.

"Even though I had psyched myself up for a cancer diagnosis, you don’t ever anticipate hearing those words," she added.

"You think that something like cancer happens to other people, not you - and when you lead a healthy lifestyle you don’t expect to hear someone say, ‘You’ve got cancer’."

She said she told her daughters, Mahi, 10 and Arya, 14, and the youngest asked her if "I was going to die".

"I explained that I was a healthy 41-year-old with no underlying health issues and that the treatment, our faith and staying positive, would help me through."

Minnal Ladva with husband Jay and daughters Arya and Mahi

Mrs Ladva said she contracted Covid-19 during her treatment, which led to neutropenic sepsis. She is now on medication to prevent the cancer returning.

"My experience has really made me realise how important it is to check your body.," she said.

If not, she added, the cancer "could have been there for years and been too late to beat it".

“In Asian culture we don’t tend to talk about cancer, it’s taboo.

"But I want people to feel comfortable talking about it because it’s fine and it’s normal.

"If your car was making a noise, you’d get it checked, so if your body doesn’t feel right – do the same. "

Mrs Ladva took part in Race for Life in 2022 with 14 of her family members

Cancer Research UK said about 38,400 people are diagnosed with cancer in the East every year, and one in two people in the UK born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime.

"Money raised at Race for Life enables scientists to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer - helping to save more lives", it added.