Liverpool mum who found lump 12 months after losing best friend backs campaign
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A Liverpool mum was diagnosed with breast cancer the year after losing her best friend to the same disease.
Anne-Marie Taylor, 52, from Maghull, recalls noticing a lump under her arm during lockdown in September 2020, just 12 months after her friend of 30-years Lou Cave had passed away.
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Hide AdIt was a particularly tough time for Anne-Marie who was also dealing with the sudden death of her dad Peter, following a fall.


The mum of two was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, a week after her dad’s funeral. Due to the restrictions at the time she had to go through all her treatment alone.
Former teacher Anne-Marie, who also has ME, has recently taken medical retirement, she said: “My dad had just passed away and my mind was full of funeral plans and looking after my mum. I popped home to have a shower and I noticed a lump under my arm, and I know my body, it definitely wasn’t there the last time I showered. I joke to people that it was my dad giving me a sign that I needed to get to the doctors.
“I was supposed to get the results the day of my dad’s funeral, but we put it off to the next week. Then I was told I had cancer. My first thought was how was I going to tell the kids after what had happened to my friend Lou. She was only 44 when she died, she was young and healthy and it was a shock. She was an amazing person and fought right to the end. She raised loads of money for Cancer Research UK and I have since done Race for Life events, to continue her legacy and give something back to the research that saved my life.
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Hide Ad“I remember thinking about the odds of cancer and Lou being the person I knew with it, and how the chances were surely pretty low of me also getting it. I never thought I’d also be getting diagnosed 12 months after she passed away. It was hard to tell our friends, who’d just lost Lou that I now had cancer as well.


“I was by myself when they told me I had cancer, and it was tough going to all the appointments and everything on my own, my husband Ian had to wait in the car. Although I did get to go out twice a week for treatment! It was during that time when you weren’t allowed to leave the house.”
Anne-Marie, who is mum to Becca, 22 and 20-year-old Michael, believes she owes her life to Cancer Research UK after she was told she had a type of breast cancer that could be controlled by a targeted treatment the charity helped to develop, called Herceptin.
Following a lumpectomy, Anne-Marie received the drug which stops cancerous cells from growing and dividing, alongside chemotherapy. Then after also undergoing radiotherapy she was declared cancer-free at the end of last year.
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Hide AdSoon, Anne-Marie will have reconstructive surgery and will continue to take hormone therapy drug Exemestane for the next 10 years.


Now Anne-Marie, who calls herself one of the ‘lucky ones’, is backing Cancer Research UK’s Turning Point for Cancer campaign which calls on the next UK Government to help save more lives, like hers, from cancer.
Underlining unacceptable cancer waiting times and an alarming £1bn gap in funding for life-saving research, Anne-Marie says tackling the disease must be a top election priority for all political parties.
Her call comes as new analysis from the charity reveals around 252,000 people in the North West are projected to be diagnosed with cancer in the next five years.*
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Hide AdAnne-Marie said: “I know that if the research hadn’t been done into Herceptin that I wouldn’t be here. Ladies didn’t survive the cancer I had in the past before this drug was available. But, thanks to research and the incredible NHS staff who treated me, I’m still here and able to enjoy many more precious moments with my family. But not everyone is so fortunate. That’s why I’m supporting this campaign.
“I think it’s so important going forwards that the next Government invest in cancer care. When you hear those terrible words, “It’s cancer,” all you want to know is you – or your loved one – have the best possible chance of surviving. This election, politicians must help make this a reality for cancer patients everywhere now and in the future.”
Cancer Research UK’s calculations reveal that within five years, the next UK Government could help prevent around 650 deaths from the disease in the North West.*
That’s if a long-term, fully funded cancer strategy is rapidly rolled out after the election, along with measures to support research and better prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease. With sustained progress, this could rise to 3,800 deaths avoided in the region in a decade.*
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Hide AdAnalysis shows if current trends in cancer death rates continue, without action, the UK is at risk of collectively losing a staggering 13 million years of life to cancer in the first parliamentary term alone.**
That’s why Anne-Marie is urging people across Merseyside to call on their local parliamentary candidates to commit to transforming cancer survival by emailing them now at cruk.org/localcandidates.
Anne-Marie is in good company with her campaigning efforts. Familiar faces from stage and screen, including actors Merseyside’s very own Stephen Graham and John Bishop who have already lent their support.
Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the North West, Jemma Humphreys, said: “Nearly 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime.*** It affects every family, in every constituency. So, as political parties reach out to the country, there’s never been a better opportunity to come together and demand the action people affected by the disease so desperately need and deserve. This general election must be a turning point for cancer.
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Hide Ad“We’re grateful to Anne-Marie for joining the groundswell of supporters, scientists and stars who are backing our campaign and hope her story will inspire people across the North West to have their say by emailing their local candidates.
“The entire cancer community is calling for the next UK Government to introduce a bold and long-term plan to prevent future cancers and improve survival.
"Urgent action to tackle the disease will mean more life-saving research, more people diagnosed and treated earlier, and ultimately, more people in the region living longer, better lives.”
Back the Turning Point for Cancer campaign now at cruk.org/localcandidates
LONGER, BETTER LIVES IN THE NORTH WEST
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Hide AdTo help drive progress after the election, Cancer Research UK has published a ‘blueprint’ for long-term change outlined in Longer, better lives: a manifesto for cancer research and care.****
It sets out a raft of key measures that it says - if adopted - could help reduce cancer death rates by 15% by 2040, preventing around 12,500 deaths in the North West.*
The charity is calling on the next UK Government to:
· Back research: Set out a plan to close the more than £1bn funding gap for research into cancer over the next decade.
· End cancers caused by smoking: This includes bringing back legislation to raise the age of sale of tobacco in the first King’s Speech after the general election and funding a world-leading programme of measures to help people who smoke to quit. Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer and is responsible for around 7,600 cases in the region every year.*****
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Hide Ad· Drive earlier diagnoses: Implement proven measures, including a lung screening programme, to diagnose cancers early and reduce inequalities in access.
· End the waits: Ensure cancer wait time targets are met across England.
· Lead on cancer: Publish a long-term cancer strategy for England and establish a National Cancer Council, accountable to the Prime Minister, to drive cross-government action on cancer.
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