Boob reduction saved woman's life as surgeons discover 'fist-sized' cancer lump
A social worker claims a breast reduction surgery saved her life after it revealed a fist-sized lump - which turned out to be cancer.
Savannah Wiley, 30, struggled with back and shoulder pain as a result of her size H breasts, and friction sores in her right breast due to a lump which she alleges doctors dismissed as a harmless cyst. The lump was rubbing on her underwired bras resulting in the sores.
Savannah opted to go for a breast reduction in February 2022 to alleviate herself of the weight on her chest, as she had decided 2022 would be “my year”. But she received a “complete shock” when it turned out the harmless cyst appeared to be a large cancerous lump - which they removed during the operation. “Nowhere in my brain did I think this could happen to me, especially at the age of 29,” she said.
An MRI scan a month later and tests on fluids drained from her chest confirmed stage four breast cancer - and she instantly began 12 rounds of chemo. Savannah is in remission but has still been left with a life expectancy of only five to ten years - and is now sharing her story.
Savannah, from Knoxville, Tennessee, says she has had large breasts her “entire life” as its a “genetic thing”. But she began seeing a doctor in December 2021, due to “discomfort” in her breasts and a “difference in the density”.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
She is raising funds for medical fees through a gofundme linked below (Kennedy News/@mrsvannawhite)
Savannah's life turned upside-down after her surgery (Kennedy News/@mrsvannawhite)She said: "I had what I thought was a cyst on the bottom of my breast, and it would rub up against the underwire of my bra. It was truly, truly uncomfortable. Doctors said there was nothing to worry about and that I just had cysts, and it wasn't a big deal.
"I started the consultation process for the breast reduction surgery because I'd decided that 2022 was going to be 'my year'. I was going to have this breast reduction surgery and improve my quality of life.
"I had the surgery on February 21st and that was the same day that the surgeon came in and told me that he found a large, fist-sized mast on my right breast on the bottom. They had started to do the surgery, and he said that he saw it and decided to go ahead and remove it. That was what was causing me so much discomfort, and I had no idea.
"He said that he could tell by looking at it that it was cancer. It didn't hit me until later, I just remember bawling. It was a complete shock. Nowhere in my brain did I think this could happen to me, especially at the age of 29."
Savannah was devastated when she was ultimately diagnosed with stage four cancer. "They extracted the fluid from my back from the pleural effusion in my left lung to test it for cancer and they had to admit me to hospital. It was very traumatising,” she said.
Savannah has to take oral chemo pills every day (Kennedy News/@mrsvannawhite)
The social worker now has a life expectancy of just 5 to ten years (Kennedy News/@mrsvannawhite)"After they did the test they found out it was stage four cancer. It felt like the wind got knocked out of me. Stage four is synonymous with death, or at least it was in my mind, I thought I was going to die. The breast reduction surgery saved my life."
Savannah is now taking oral chemo medication and hormone blockers which have left her unable to have children. Although her remaining life expectancy remains at only five to ten years, Savannah has vowed to make the most of the time she has left.
She will start a non-profit or provide therapy to other cancer patients, she says, and is also writing a book about her difficult experiences. She is also raising money to cover her £5,000 outstanding medical bill, which you can donate to .
Savannah is coming to terms with the fact that she will “never live a normal life” which she is “trying to come to terms with”. She said: “The life expectancy for anyone with stage four breast cancer is five to ten years. I'm just trying to figure out what I need to do to move forward.”
"Usually, a lot of people think that remission means cured but it doesn't really mean that, and it definitely doesn't when you're at stage four. For now, I'm on oral chemo and I will be on oral chemo for the rest of my life.
Disabled woman paralysed after falling from wheelchair on plane walkway dies
"Once a month I go in and get hormone blocker injections. They put me in menopause, so I'm in menopause at the age 30. I'll never be able to have children,” she said.
“I'm hoping that I can find a way to either start a non-profit or work with cancer patients directly by providing therapy to them.”
You can donate to Savannah’s crowdfunder here:
Get checked by a doctor if you feel you may be showing the symptoms of breast cancer listed below:
The first noticeable symptom of breast cancer is an area of thickened breast tissue or a lump in the breast or armpit.
Other symptoms include:
A change in shape and size of the breasts
Dimpling on the skin of the breasts
Discharge from the nipple
A rash on or around the nipple
A change in the appearance of the nipple
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
