Laura's story
At the very start of 2014, at the age of 25, I discovered a small pea-sized lump in my left breast while in the shower one morning. Due to my age, it didn’t concern me too much, but I decided to get it checked by my GP just to be sure. Thankfully, she chose to refer me to the hospital for a second opinion, despite thinking it would be nothing. On 24th February 2014, I was diagnosed with grade 3, stage 3, ER+, HER2+, lymph node-positive breast cancer.
I endured all the treatments, starting with six rounds of chemotherapy, which made me extremely unwell and caused me to lose all my hair. I then had my first ever operation—a mastectomy on my left breast with full lymph node clearance—followed by radiotherapy, hormonal treatment, and a year of a drug called Herceptin.
In June 2015, I was able to celebrate being in remission and started trying to rebuild my life. I returned to work as a hairdresser, began socialising again, and looked forward to a happy future.
Sadly, only a year later, I developed pain in my right shoulder. I ignored it for several months, assuming it was a gym injury, but when I finally got it checked and scanned in October 2016, the results were devastating. My entire right humerus head and ball joint had been overtaken by breast cancer cells. Further scans revealed that the cancer had spread to most of my spine and my left pelvis.
At the age of 28, I was told my cancer was now stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, which is incurable.
I needed a full shoulder replacement on my right arm, which meant I immediately lost my career as a hairdresser due to significantly reduced arm mobility. In an instant, my dream of having a family was also taken away, as I was told I would never be able to have children. From that point on, my survival depended entirely on the effectiveness of the drugs available to me, and life suddenly felt unbearably dark and heavy. I had no idea if I would ever smile or laugh again. I honestly believed I wouldn’t make it to my 30th birthday.
Following my shoulder replacement, I had further chemotherapy and lost my hair again. I then began a targeted therapy, which I receive in hospital every three weeks.
To regain some sense of control over my life, I started writing a "living list" of things I wanted to experience while I still had time. I began booking things to enjoy in between hospital visits.
Miraculously, it is now 2025, and I will be 37 next month—I am still here and still on the same targeted therapy, which has kept my cancer stable.
Life has changed a lot. I experience many side effects, including chronic pain, which I have to manage daily with medication, but I try to push through to do something nice each day.
I also found living with secondary breast cancer to be a very lonely and isolating experience. So, in 2019, alongside a friend I met through a campaign, I co-founded Secondary Sisters—a platform designed to help others feel less alone.
We wanted to create a space where people could connect and find hope, even with an incurable diagnosis. We aim to show that, despite illness, there are still opportunities to travel, to experience joy, and to make wonderful memories—if you allow yourself to believe in them.
I also volunteer for several charities, which gives me a sense of purpose, and I am a proud mummy to my two fur babies—my cocker spaniels, Tilly and Luna.
My life is still ruled by hospital appointments, scans, and side effects. I don’t know how long I have left, but I choose to live my life to the fullest—for however long that may be. Find out more about my story on my Instagram account.
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