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At 16 Amanda Lloyd-Jones had a non malignant lump removed from her right breast . She sat her GCSE geography in the morning and was in surgery in the afternoon. Two decades on she discovered a non-related but cancerous lump on the same breast, partly because her early experience had taught her to be breast aware and self check. Now cancer free for 10 years after surgeries and chemotherapy the teacher from Cardiff is using her experience to raise awareness among young people and their families. Mother of two Amanda, who is a year five teacher at Howell's School in Cardiff , felt the lump on her breast while she was putting on suncream during a holiday in summer 2014. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months later in December 2014 aged 37. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here After enduring two lumpectomies, an axillary lymph node clearance, six rounds of chemotherapy, 15 rounds of radiotherapy and 10 years of hormone therapy, Amanda was declared cancer free last summer and says she's determined to use her experience to make a difference and potentially save lives. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October she has given talks sharing her experience to pupils of all ages at Howell's. Amanda's older daughter, a pupil at Ysgol Plasmawr, also organised a fundraising day for Breast Cancer Awareness there. With six staff members and several parents and past pupils affected by breast cancer in the past decade, Howell's has run awareness assemblies and fundraisers to encourage students, and their families, to be body-aware and proactive, teaching them that “you’re never too young to learn”. Amanda said: "I originally had a tumour removed from my breast aged just 16, I was sitting my exams at the time. Although that tumour was benign, later I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37, so I’m adamant that it’s never too young to learn the importance of checking yourself and being breast aware." Amanda, who was treated at Llandough and Velindre hospitals, is keen not to alarm people and hopes her story will give people courage and information rather than frightening them. " Breast cancer is a subject that many of us really know very little about and not many people talk openly about it either. I am hoping to raise awareness of breast cancer, normalise conversations and encourage people to become health aware, as without having received good health education myself I might not have been here today. "My story begins when I was at secondary school myself and 16 years old, I sat my last GCSE in the morning and that afternoon I was on the operating table having a tumour removed from my breast. "Fortunately, at the time, it was benign, meaning it was non-cancerous tumour and called a fibroadenoma. This type of noncancerous tumour happens most often between ages 15 and 35. But it can be found at any age in anyone who has periods, they are often painless and do not mean you are more at risk of breast cancer when you are older. "That said, however, 21 years later, I discovered more tumours in the same breast and this time, for me, they were cancerous. At the time I was teaching a year one class in Howell’s School, Llandaff , and I had to stop working to undergo a series of treatments to get rid of the cancer from my body. Thankfully, I was proactive, detected the cancer early and acted upon it, resulting in being one of the 80% of women, in my age range, who survives breast cancer. "I am not sharing my story to instil fear or worry in the students but to instil hope and inspiration, to help raise awareness and to empower all the students with knowledge. "Awareness surrounding breast cancer is of the utmost importance as early detection can catch the disease and stop it spreading to other areas of the body. Many people are probably ‘aware’ of breast cancer and might know someone who has had the disease. But not many people understand what they should be looking for and who can get it." Amanda stressed it's not just women and girls who can be affected. " Breast cancer is treatable if you detect it early. It’s only right therefore that we bring this to the attention of young adults and encourage them all to check their breasts, chests, boobs and pecs. "It's a common misconception that breast cancer only affects women, but around 400 men will be diagnosed each year in the UK. Everybody has breast tissue so everybody should be checking." She urged anyone who thinks something isn’t right to get a trusted adult and doctor to check. "Having the strength to come to terms with something not being right, and seeking medical help is the hardest thing to conquer- not to put it off for another day but to act soon and have your voice listened to by GPs." And the GCSE geography exam she sat? Amanda laughs and says she can't recall now the grade she got. But she's glad she sat the exam and was glad the early experience helped her awareness for what came later. Kinie Kaur, from the charity Breast Cancer Now , said that every nine minutes someone in the UK is told they have breast cancer. She added: "We’re so incredibly grateful to Amanda and the school for being part of wear it pink this October." Breast Cancer Now provides information on how to self check your breasts, signs to look out for and where to seek help on its website here.
