Real stories

Pat's story

A picture of Pat Wadsworth with her daughter Marie Wadsworth Mother-of-two Pat Wadsworth was aged 61 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2003.

She had visited the mobile screening unit for her three yearly mammogram and started to feel anxious after being re-called.

Pat had a biopsy which revealed she had cancer. She then underwent surgery to have the lump removed before undergoing six months of chemotherapy which made her lose her hair followed by three weeks of radiotherapy treatment.

Pat had completed her cancer treatment by the end of 2003 and was looking forward to a positive start to the new year when her daughter Marie was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2004.

She said: "The mammogram I received saved my life.

"There's no doubt about it. There was no lump, so I wouldn't have ever known I had breast cancer.

"I would urge all women to attend their mammograms because they are vitally important."

David's story

A picture of David Phillips David Phillips, 69, a retired swimming coach from Coventry, was part of the pilot bowel cancer screening programme and was sent a test kit in 2001.

Initially reluctant, his wife persuaded him to do the test and the result showed blood in the sample. The test was repeated and David was asked to have a colonoscopy. Bowel cancer was diagnosed and he had surgery two weeks later. He is now fully recovered and has six-monthly check-ups.

He said: "I think I was very lucky that the screening test picked up on something that could have developed into a much worse situation. Early diagnosis was the reason I have made such a good recovery.

"The bowel screening programme is certainly the way forward as it could help so many people as it helped me. Without screening I probably would not have known that I had cancer, but thanks to screening I am here to tell the story."

Nanna's story

A picture of Nanna Luneborg In 2002 Nanna Luneborg was a student undertaking a PhD at University College London.

Following a routine smear test she had a letter saying that it hadn't given enough cells to get a good sample so she had to go back to have another one. After the second smear test she got another letter telling her she had to go the colposcopy clinic for another test.

The consultant explained that Nanna’s last smear test had showed some stage 2/3 cell changes, and they recommended that she should have these removed.

She said: "I had the cells removed immediately, and in addition, I was tested for HPV, since the vast majority of cervical cancers are associated with HPV infection. I went back for a check-up a few weeks later, and everything was fine, and I was also told that my HPV test had come back negative, which means there is very little chance of me developing cervical cancer.

"Since then I have been going to annual screening, which is standard for up to five years after you have an abnormal smear result. There has been no abnormal results since then.

"I'd recommend everyone to go to their screening - even if the screening does pick something up, and it's obviously a bit unpleasant and worrying at the time, it does not mean you have cancer or are going to get cancer."

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