WATCH: Bathgate woman survives breast cancer which killed her mum

Nicole Little lost her mother to the disease when she was just 7 years old.

Nicole Little from Bathgate lost her mum to the disease when she was 7, then battled it herself 20 years later.
Published 21st Jan 2021
Last updated 21st Jan 2021

A West Lothian woman, who's one of Scotland's youngest breast cancer survivors, is leading a life-saving campaign.

Nicole Little lost her 32-year-old mum to the disease when she was just seven years old - before having to battle it herself 20-years later.

She's been given the all-clear and is now helping Cancer Research UK raise vital funds.

The ambulance dispatcher is also supporting the charity's launch of its work to mark World Cancer Day on February 4th.

WATCH:

Nicole told Radio Forth News: "Most people are lucky enough to grow up with a mum but I was so young when cancer took my mum away.

"I still miss her every day and when it was me in the hospital room being told I had cancer, my first thought was for my mum.

"I feared at first it was like history repeating itself. I said to the doctor, ‘that’s what killed my mum.’ But the doctors quickly explained there have been huge advances in treatment for breast cancer since my mum went through it in the 1990s.

"They’re so much better at treating breast cancer today thanks to research, something which gave me hope.

"Now I want to support research, not just for me and for future generations but in honour of my mum too."

In the 1970s, four in 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer survived their disease beyond 10-years, now it’s around eight in 10.