Doctors didn't take the only symptom seriously: Months later, he learned he had cancer.
At the breast clinic she consulted, the lump was diagnosed as a cyst or benign growth because it was smooth and mobile. Ferguson recalls, "I wasn't worried at that point. The consultant didn't find it suspicious due to my age and the small size of the lump, but suggested I come back if anything changed." However, in August 2023, just before the new academic year, she noticed the lump in her breast had grown. She consulted a doctor again and was referred to Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow.
Following examinations, Ferguson was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer that usually occurs in women under 40. "Looking back, I was a little numb," Ferguson said, adding, "I was very healthy, I felt fit. There was no history of cancer in my family. It was a strange feeling to have such a disease."
Ferguson, who began chemotherapy just two months after her diagnosis, tried to stay active even during this challenging period, continuing her marathon training and teaching. Following chemotherapy in March 2024, she underwent breast reconstruction surgery. However, during her treatment, Ferguson was given another difficult piece of news: Because cancer treatment would negatively impact her ovaries, she would be unable to conceive naturally unless she froze her eggs before starting immunotherapy. "They shut down my ovaries to protect them. I went into menopause overnight," Ferguson said, describing the entire process as "a complex tangle of emotions."
The young teacher, who received an "OK" from her doctors in May 2024, described her feelings when she received this news: "I guess it wasn't what I had imagined. Everyone around me was very happy, but for me, that was the moment my anxiety started."
One in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. Approximately 56,000 women are diagnosed annually, making it the most common cancer in the country. The rise in breast cancer cases, particularly among women under 50, is worrying experts. Consequently, campaigns are underway to lower the screening age to 30.
Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for approximately 15 percent of breast cancer cases. Symptoms include a lump in the breast or armpit, changes in breast shape or skin, and nipple discharge.
This genetic predisposition came to widespread public attention in 2013 when Angelina Jolie had a preventive double mastectomy.
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