A Stornoway woman diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 has backed a new national campaign raising awareness of catching it at an early stage.
The Be the Early Bird campaign aims to promote how important it can be to find cancer at an earlier stage.
This will give the patient much more time and options for treatments while also raising their chances of survival.
Norma MacLeod, 47, from Stornoway shared her experience of diagnosis, treatment and life now to help people get checked.
She was an “early bird” and through her timely action, she was able to catch her cancer, which led to successful treatment.
She said: “Cancer changes you mentally – not your personality, but your thought processes. I wasn’t myself for a year after radiotherapy but I’m slowly coming back to the person I was and am starting to recognise myself again.
‘I live life day to day now’
“I’ve made a point of being much better at looking after myself, switching off and taking time to realise I’m actually okay.
“Rather than planning ahead, I live life day to day now – it works for me, and I quite like it.
“Although work is busy I make time to look after myself, go on holiday at a moment’s notice and focus on living well.”
The Scottish Government campaign is especially aimed encouraging those over 40 with certain symptoms to contact their GP practice without delay.
Symptoms include unexplained bleeding, unusual lumps, unexplained weight loss or something that doesn’t feel normal for them.
Mrs MacLeod added: “If you find a lump, don’t wait. Take no chances. Until I suddenly woke up that day, I was taking a chance each day with my life, and it could have been so much worse for me.
“It’s not easy to hear the word cancer but it’s better to know where you stand and what can be done to treat it, rather than brushing it under the carpet.”
Health minister Humza Yousef said: “More people are surviving cancer than ever before in Scotland, but finding cancer at an earlier stage remains key.
“The Be the Early Bird campaign has been designed to highlight why an earlier diagnosis can lead to better outcomes, in terms of treatment options and quality of life after treatment, to motivate people to take action rather than put off getting possible cancer symptoms checked.”
Conversation