Mum given heartbreaking diagnosis after experiencing pain in her chest

A mum was given the heartbreaking news she had incurable cancer after experiencing a pain in her chest. Heather Glover had successfully fought off cancer twice before, but was told the devastating news it had come back in September this year.

Heather, from Macclesfield, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2017. Following removal of the lump, and a course of chemo and radiotherapy, she was given the all-clear.

"Finding out the first time was a massive shock. It’s awful," her daughter Megan Glover, 24, said. "You just never expect it to be your mum, do you?”

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But in January 2019, Heather found another lump. She went back to the doctor, who diagnosed her with triple negative breast cancer, a type of cancer that lacks the usual levels of hormone receptors, making it harder to treat.

Following a further course of chemotherapy, and a mastectomy on each breast, she was again given the all clear. Heather would enjoy another five years being cancer free until September of this year, when she returned for a check-up.

“She mentioned this pain that she was having in her chest, so the doctors did a CT scan to check everything was alright,” said Megan. “But it wasn’t.”

Doctors did further biopsies and found Heather’s sternum contained further cancer, which doctors said would be incurable. “Obviously that was not the news we were hoping for,” said Megan. “But she’s a strong lady, and she's doing everything she can to fight it, and stay well as long as she possibly can.”

Supplementing Heather’s chemotherapy will be a ‘concoction’ of medications prescribed by a private oncology centre in London, which are not traditionally used in cancer treatment, but rather for other complaints like high cholesterol, diabetes, and even one for worms.

Wanting to tackle her cancer with all possible options, she plans to supplement this with alternative treatments, including supplements and a special diet plan including vitamin D tablets, Omega 3 and manuka honey.

“It’s just her opinion – I’m not telling anyone to go out and do this,” said Megan, a pharmacist herself. “But she’s a nurse and has friends who are doctors who advise her. She just wants the best of everything, in case the other treatments on their own don’t do the job.”

Over the years Heather and Megan have done a whole host of fundraising activities for charity – even abseiling down the Trafford Centre. But now she wants to do something just for her mum. Megan will be taking on the Heaton Park half marathon in March next year to help raise funds to support her. Anyone wishing to contribute to Megan's GoFundMe can do so here.

“We’ve raised a lot of money for charity," Megan said. "I felt like I just wanted to do something specifically for her, that I could do to help. I felt like I was so helpless. I didn't know what to do, so I know this is going to help her.”

She also wishes some of the factors that increase susceptibility to cancer were more widely known. “My mum had a few lumps growing up and never really thought too much of it, but that does increase your risk,” she said.

“And having dense breast tissue increases your susceptibility too. But that’s something you only find out at a mammogram.”

Heather was just 46 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. The NHS only begins inviting women for breast screenings from the age of 50. Megan thinks this should be much lower.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’ve had a couple of lumps myself – and I know people in their 20s and 30s who’ve been diagnosed.”

Megan told the Manchester Evening News that she had ruled out a marathon – “I would probably kill myself in the process” – so settled for a half. “It needed to be a big enough challenge for people to support me. It keeps me fit, and kind of takes my mind off of what’s going on.

“I feel like as a family we’re quite positive, and we can talk quite openly – that keeps us sane. Obviously we have our down days and we'll have like times where we question why this has happened to us.

"But I feel like 90% of the time I'd say we're pretty strong. My mum's always had a really good outlook on everything, she's never ever complained. She thinks there’s a reason for everything.

“But it's just a bit weird this time because there's no end goal. We were told it's incurable, so she's going to be on chemo and immunotherapy for life. Last time, she could barely get out of bed. I don’t want her to just have no life.”

Megan says the money raised will go to the supplements and special diet Heather is on, with any remaining funds going to the Prevent Breast Cancer charity.

“She couldn’t understand why I’d decided to do it, at first,” Megan said. “She started crying and was a bit angry. Not at me – but that she has to have help from people. She wants to be the one helping and she was upset that I felt I had to do this.

“She’s on board with it now though - and is really proud of me.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to Megan's GoFundMe can do so here.