Breast cancer survivor: "Early detection saved my life"
Susan Keatings was diagnosed aged 45
A woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 45 has said she owes her life to screening services provided by Action Cancer.
Susan Keating was sent for further tests after two tumours were detected during a routine mammogram.
The charity has been offering offering free checks to women aged between 40-49 for the past 40 years.
On the NHS, women are invited for screening when they reach 50 and every three years thereafter.
Susan says by then it could be too late:
"There was no obvious signs or symptoms, I went routinely every two years from forty.
"Only that my friend had initially brought us down, I didn't find the breast cancer myself, it was only the mammogram that detected it.
"If I hadn't have gone for the routine mammogram through Action Cancer, my cancer wouldn't have been detected and it doesn't bear thinking about."
Susan has shared her very personal story to mark breast cancer awareness month, in a bid to urge more women to book their free screening:
"My third mammogram when I was 45 showed that I had breast cancer in my right breast.
"Action Cancer discovered that when it was early and treatable, I then had further chemo and radiotherapy and since my treatment I am now cancer free.
"I know that Action Cancer saved my life and I know that early detection saves lives, it saved mine."
According to the charity, thousands of women are tested for breast cancer in Northern Ireland through their services.
Joanna Currie is a Consultant Radiographer and has been working for Action Cancer for over 12 years:
"We screen around 10,000 women per year and out of that there are about six or seven women diagnosed with breast cancer per every thousand women that we screen.
"Bear in mind everybody who we are detecting, it's usually a very early stage and they wouldn't have had the service elsewhere so those are women whose lives are being saved."
The charity also works to make their services accessible to women across the province by providing a portable screening facility.
Joanna told us it can be hard for many women to take time out of their busy lives for health checks:
"Women are very good at looking after everybody else, not very good at looking after themselves.
"We offer services in two places, our headquarters is on Windsor Avenue in Belfast and we have a mobile unit called the big bus which travels to about 200 locations across Northern Ireland."
Susan told us of the moment she found out about her diagnosis:
"The initial news that there was a cancer diagnosis...my mind went round in circles.
"I was very worried, worried about my family more so than myself, I've young children, I've grandchildren.
"I must admit I did worry about others more so than me and did worry about what the future held, the unknown, the uncertainty."
But she told Downtown Cool FM that she is feeling positive after being given the all clear and wants other women to be brave and book their free tests:
"With the treatment and having the all-clear now and being detected when it was early and treatable, has given me a future to look forward to.
"I now know that there's routine check ups and I do feel that other ladies, especially in the 20-50 age groups need to go and get their routine mammograms."