Breast cancer bride delayed lifesaving chemotherapy to keep her own hair for her wedding day - and is now in remission
- Claire Atkins discovered a lump in her breast two months after giving birth
- 41-year-old was told to prepare for surgery to remove the cancerous lump, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and long-term medication
- She and fiancee Jason Atkins had booked their wedding for July 2013
- She said: 'I was adamant that I would have my own hair when I got married'
- Doctors said because the cancer had been surgically removed delaying her course of chemotherapy by one month was safe
- Three days after the couple's big day Mrs Atkins began her treatment
- In February this year a mammogram revealed she was cancer free
Bride-to-be Claire Atkins delayed lifesaving chemotherapy so she could keep her natural hair for her wedding day
School secretary Claire Atkins, 41, asked doctors to postpone her treatment for a month to avoid wearing a wig on her big day.
And instead of heading off to enjoy a honeymoon with her new husband, Mrs Atkins began a course of lifesaving chemotherapy just three days after tying the knot.
Four months ago, she was declared cancer-free.
The mother-of-three, from Hempstead in Kent, said: 'I knew I didn't want to wear a hairpiece.
'We had booked our wedding date and venue and I was adamant that I would have my own hair when I got married.'
Two months after giving birth to her daughter Rose in August 2012, Mrs Atkins discovered a lump on the surface of her left breast.
Doctors diagnosed it as a blocked milk duct, but she was told to return if any further lumps appeared.
In February 2013, she discovered several more lumps beneath the skin and was sent for an ultrasound at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham.
Mrs Atkins said: 'The nurse wasn’t happy to see a white chalky space on the scan, so I was sent for a mammogram.
'I had an immediate biopsy and two weeks later I recieved the results that I had breast cancer. I was shocked and scared, but my fiance Jason was with me.'
Mrs Atkins, who has two older children, Charlie, 17, and Libby, 13, decided to bring forward her wedding to fiance Jason, 39, a sales consultant.
She said: 'Jason and I knew we wanted to get married and having the diagnosis put things in focus.
'We thought, "let’s just do it". It was very helpful to have something really positive to focus on.'
Preliminary surgery revealed that Mrs Atkins had a stage three invasive tumour in her breast.
Mrs Atkins pictured on her wedding day last July
with her son Charlie Stevens, 17, her daughter Libby Stevens, 13,
holding Rose, 22 months, her husband Jason Atkins, 39 and his sons
Tommy, 10 and Joe, eight
Mrs Atkins discovered a lump on the surface of
her left breast shortly after the birth of her daughter Rose in August
2012 (left). Doctors initially diagnosed a blocked breast duct but in
February 2013 the mother-of-three discovered several more lumps, and
tests revealed she had breast cancer
After gaining a second opinion on the best course of treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, she was told to prepare for the surgical removal of the lump, followed by radiotherapy, chemotherapy and longer-term targeted medication.
She said: 'The idea of chemotherapy was frightening. I’d heard such harsh stories about the sickness I should expect.
'We had booked our wedding date and venue and I was adamant that I would have my own hair when I got married'
- Claire Atkins
'I also knew I would lose my hair for the wedding if the treatment started straight away.
'Having found the wedding so helpful to focus on, I wanted the actual event to be just how we imagined it to be.
'The doctors were satisfied that because the cancerous tissue had already been removed surgically, it was safe to put off the chemotherapy until the end of the following month.'
Mr and Mrs Atkins tied the knot in front of family and friends on July 20, 2013.
Mrs Atkins said: 'It was a very emotional day, considering what we were going through.
'Our families made speeches acknowledging how important all of our friends are in our lives.'
Three days later, she started her first round of chemotherapy.
Instead of jetting off on honeymoon, three days
after her wedding, Mrs Atkins started a lifesaving course of
chemotherapy, causing her to lose her hair (left). In February this year
she was declared cancer-free (right)
She said: 'I felt extremely tired, but I didn’t feel quite as sick as I expected to. I decided to wear scarves instead of wigs, which I found hot and itchy.'
Despite a worrying wait, Mrs Atkins was declared cancer-free following a mammogram in February.
She said: 'I’m over the moon, of course, but the experience has changed me. I’ll always carry a level of concern that the cancer might return, and I lost a lot of my femininity.
'It will take a year or so before my hair grows back to the way it was, and by then I’ll be ready to return to my old self again.
'Now I advise all women to check themselves regularly. If I hadn’t been so diligent in looking out for lumps before my diagnosis, it might have been missed and I might not be here today.
'I also believe that breast cancer screening should be routinely offered to women under the age of 50.
'I’ve heard of cases of younger women with concerns being palmed off simply because of their age.
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