Two Cancer Survivors Campaign For Screening Change

One had cervical cancer - one breast cancer - but both are determined to lower the age of screening to help save the lives of women.

Suzanne Fernando from Ardrossan was diagnosed with cervical cancer when she was pregnant with her daughter - the tumour would've gone undetected had she not been expecting.

Suzanne has been campaining for years but now she's focused on reversing the decision to raise the age of cervical smears - from next April the age will go from 20 to 25.

The mum of two says women should be given the choice as soon as they become sexually active - she's petitioning for the age to be lowererd again.

Meanwhile on the other side of Ayrshire in Kilmarnock, Helen Kallstrom is in the final stages of treatment for breast cancer.

The 36 year old, discovered the lump after bumping her breast on a table, but says it could've been caught sooner had she been given a yearly mammogram.

Like Suzanne she's campaigning for the age (which is already at 50) to be lowered in the hope that is saves lives by catching it earlier.

The mum of two says when you're diagnosed with breast cancer they give you a mammogram anyway so it should be a yearly thing for women over 20.

She feels the cost of this treatment which could catch the cancer early would be balanced out as less women would need aggressive treatment.

Helen has also started a petition which she intends to take to both Holyrood and Downing Street.