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Woman, 22, Discovers She Has Cancer After Watching TikTok Video

Woman, 22, Discovers She Has Cancer After Watching TikTok Video

Katie Claydon, 22, had been watching a TikTok video teaching people how to properly check their breasts

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A young woman discovered she had breast cancer after seeing a video on TikTok, having now set up an Instagram page to 'raise awareness to people of all ages'.

Katie Claydon, 22, had been watching a TikTok video teaching people how to properly check their breasts.

Thanks to the clip, she had been able to detect an abnormal lump, and was then diagnosed with breast cancer on 7 January.

Katie says mammogram campaigns tend to miss her age category, with just 30 women of her age being diagnosed annually.

Fortunately, she was able access treatment quickly, and has now created an Instagram feed to document her journey - having already helped two others who wouldn't have thought to get checked otherwise.

Katie, from Birdwell in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "I wasn't too concerned when I first found the lump.

"I assumed it was nothing and cancer hadn't even popped into my head at this point.

"I honestly had no idea that people my age could have breast cancer.

PA

"I asked my mum to have a look at it but she was concerned.

"I think, after I saw my GP and she confirmed there was a lump, that's when I got a bit scared that it could be cancer.

"When the staff at the breast clinic said they were concerned, that's when I had convinced myself that it was cancer."

Katie, who works as a communications assistant for Barnsley Hospital, had to find out her results via telephone due to coroanvirus restrictions - something she says made the diagnosis easier.

She explained: "I found out my results via the telephone in the comfort of my own home which I think made it a bit easier as I was with my mum and siblings.

"I had a bit of a cry when I was told it was cancer, but I think, because I had pretty much convinced myself it was cancer, that it wasn't too much of a shock.

"It was only after the results I found out how rare it actually is at my age.

"I read that only around 30 women my age are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

"That was very shocking to me.

"A member of staff at the breast clinic said I was the youngest she'd seen diagnosed in a very long time."

Katie said leading campaigns seem to urge people to go to their mammogram appointments, which only applies to people of a certain age.

She set up her Instagram page, @dearcancer_itskatie, just days after her diagnosis to help raise awareness among younger people.

PA

Katie said the pandemic thankfully hasn't caused any delays to her treatment, explaining: "So far I have had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy on January 27, and on February 4 I was told that the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes and the lump was removed with good margins.

"I will have to undergo chemotherapy and I am currently waiting for an appointment with the oncologist to discuss this further.

"I'm luckily working from home so I do not need to go in, but I think if I did work within the hospital during this time it would really affect me."

Sharing resources for others, she added: "Breast Cancer Now and CoppaFeel! share some fantastic material about breast cancer in younger women, and I think this should be replicated across all national campaigns."

Follow Katie's cancer journey at @dearcancer_itskatie, and find out more about the CoppaFeel! reminder service here.

Featured Image Credit: Reach

Topics: UK News, News, tiktok