Going the extra mile to help friend in need of breast op

Linda Walker was so touched by her friend’s traumatic battle with the aftermath of cancer treatment she decided she wanted to help her,

Linda, from Leeds, is running the Leeds Half Marathon to raise funds for a private operation to help friend Ann-Marie Partridge after the mum-of-two was told the procedure would not be funded by the NHS.

Ann-Marie, from Kippax, has undergone years of reconstruction treatment after having one of her breasts removed four years ago, when she was diagnosed with cancer. But, according to Ann-Marie, her breasts have been left uneven and ‘terrible’ and she is reminded of her cancer ordeal every time she catches sight of herself in the mirror.

She says her self-esteem is at rock-bottom and she rarely goes out. Ann-Marie, 50, also lacks the confidence to think about a relationship, so upset is she at the way she now looks.

“I’ve just turned 50 but I feel about 90,” says the dental receptionist. “I used to be really confident but now I don’t go out at all and if I have to, I cover myself up completely. I’m divorced but I can’t even think about a relationship. If I don’t want to look at myself, why would anyone else?”

Ann-Marie was diagnosed with breast cancer just over four years ago, aged 46. She noticed a small change to the nipple of her right breast but didn’t think much of it until she went for a routine nurse appointment. She was just about to leave when the nurse asked if there was anything else bothering her and told the nurse about the change.

“I’m so glad the nurse thought to ask me that question, because I probably wouldn’t have said anything.” She was sent for a mammogram which revealed she had five different lumps in her breast. She had a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

She was also offered reconstruction, but was adamant that she did not want implants as she wanted to look as ‘natural’ as possible. Instead she opted to have reconstructive surgery, using fat from elsewhere in her body.

Unfortunately, the operation – using fat from her back – did not work and she suffered an infection. Doctors tried the operation several more times, but were unable to rebuild the breast as her body continued to reject the new tissue.

Eventually, after almost three years, Ann-Marie agreed to have a small artificial implant to try to replicate her healthy breast.

“I’d had lots of operations. One every few months and it wasn’t working. After three years I couldn’t do it any more so I went for the implant.” While the new right breast looked better, the surgery left Ann-Marie’s chest ‘unsymmetrical’ and ‘awful looking’. Following the initial operation, she says doctors told her that they could operate on the healthy breast to make her chest more ‘even’. However, after she recovered and requested the operation, she says she was told that it was not medically-necessary and the NHS would not fund it.

She has appealed the decision and it is now being considered by a Leeds Teaching Hospitals board.

“I feel like this is never ending. I just can’t get away from the cancer. Every time I see my boobs I know they are not normal and why. I just want to move on. I don’t feel it’s a cosmetic issue – I didn’t ask to have cancer and my breast removed. This is really affecting my life and my confidence and my ability to move on with my life. I just wanted them to look normal – that’s why I went through six operations, to avoid having to have an implant in the first place. I may as well not have bothered. All I want is for them to look similar. I don’t want bigger or smaller boobs, or a lift or anything. I just want them to look normal.

“They say no one should go through cancer alone but it really is a very lonely place. And I just feel that it’s still not over.”

So concerned was Linda about her friend that she decided to help her raise the £5,000 she needs to pay for the operation privately.

“I just hate seeing Ann-Marie so unhappy. She used to be so confident and outgoing, she was the life and soul of the party. She was the party! We want the old Ann-Marie back,” sasy Linda who wants to thank her her mum and everyone who has donated to her Go Fund Me page,

“It seems really unfair that you see stories all the time about cosmetic surgery that the NHS has paid for – but they won’t help Ann-Marie get her life back.”

“I’ve never run a half marathon before – but if it helps Ann-Marie feel back to herself again, it will all be worth it!”

Ann-Marie added: “It’s so touching. I was really moved when she said she was going to run for me.”