Gloria's story
Hello, my name is Gloria Nelson. I was in my mid-50s when I found a lump in my right breast. It was late September, and by October 2018, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a total shock—the icing on the cake at a time in my life that had already been so difficult. I didn’t know how I was going to cope. Nothing prepares you for those words...
"You have cancer." … I just cried.
In 2019, I had a single mastectomy and an implant. I hated it. I couldn’t look at myself for ages. In 2020, I went on to have DIEP reconstruction, a surgery that used my own tissue and fat to create a new boob. Then, in 2021, I had nipple reconstruction. Through it all, my amazing mum looked after me after my surgeries. It was so wonderful. I just cried when she left.
At the time, my daughter was almost 16, going through the challenges of teenage life, and our relationship was so strained. I thought I was going mad. Life just couldn’t get any worse—I was alone with a teenager and now facing a cancer diagnosis. My family wasn’t close by, so I went to all my hospital appointments alone. I felt I had to be strong around my daughter. She knew I was upset, but I kept the crying for when I was alone.
Talking to a teenager about such a difficult situation while they’re going through big life changes themselves is so tough. But the hug my daughter gave me when I told her I had cancer was so beautiful—it had been a while. She was getting ready for her GCSEs and was very stressed. As a mother, it was important that I told her what I was going through, but in a way that could put her mind at ease. It wasn’t easy.
At first, I was told I would only need a lumpectomy, which wasn’t too invasive. But then I had to undergo a mastectomy, losing my nipple and needing additional surgeries to create a new one. I also needed surgery on my other breast to make them look similar. I was heartbroken.
But through it all, having my daughter to think about made me stronger. I had to think of her as well as myself, and this gave me the strength I needed to be strong.
Find out more about my story on my Instagram account.
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