'Life changed' for pharmacist after cancer discovery

Rachel Westwood said she had two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiotherapy after she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer

A pharmacist who has worked at a hospital for 25 years became a patient there after she received a breast cancer diagnosis two years ago.

Rachel Westwood remembers feeling foggy when she received a stage three breast cancer diagnosis in 2022 and in the space of four months she had gone from getting a diagnosis to starting treatment.

Ms Westwood said: "The first year was the hardest really. I feel like I'm in a better place than I have been."

An awareness event will be held by the breast screening department at Northampton General Hospital on Saturday from 10:00 BST, with information on how to check your breasts, treatment, and the menopause.

Ms Westwood, who is a deputy chief pharmacist at the hospital, recalls finding a lump after taking off her sports bra.

While she had previously had a benign lump, she booked an appointment with a GP and said her life then "changed for a little while".

"One of the bizarre things was I almost knew before they spoke," she said. "The breast cancer nurse had come in with a surgeon.

"I knew a breast cancer nurse wouldn't come in without the diagnosis being what it is.

"I heard some words but I didn't really take everything in.

"This is from someone who understands the terminology - I know what it means but it still was not really going in."

'Like going through the menopause again'

The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes in May 2022 and by September of the same year she started chemotherapy and then radiotherapy treatment.

"It was fairly horrible quite frankly," she said. "People have lots of different experiences with chemotherapy.

"I was totally knocked out by it and felt really quite unwell, and then the radiotherapy was exhausting.

"Some of my longer-term medication is not great, my joint pains are not great - it's like going through the menopause again."

Ms Westwood says although working as a pharmacist gives her an understanding of the medication she takes, and why it is important, during treatment she is in "patient mode".

She is now feeling fit and well, checks in with oncology once a month and is back at work.

Ms Westwood hopes Saturday's event will be a good opportunity to raise awareness, give people a better understanding and help people be able to support those around them who may be going through, or have gone through cancer.