Having won a gruelling three-year battle against leukaemia after being given just a 40% chance of survival, Liz Bates thought she could finally rest easy with an all-clear. However, following a routine mammogram in 2022, which the 63-year-old always kept up with due to her increased risk of cancer after chemotherapy, her nightmare started again.
At the appointment, the doctor asked Liz if she had experienced any trauma to her breast, to which Liz replied that her grandchild had accidentally kicked her there. Liz, who is a grandma of four, didn’t think twice when she was called to come back in as the doctor said any internal bruising would require a recall. But the former NHS senior manager was then given an immediate biopsy and diagnosed with the worst news – that she had developed breast cancer, despite having no symptoms.
Liz told the Manchester Evening News: “It was difficult because, at the back of your mind, you always fear the worst. Part of my brain was saying, the likelihood of it being cancer is tiny.
“The other part was saying, you’ve had cancer, you’re at more risk. They’ve called you back. There must be something. I was half expecting it, but it was still a shock.”
At first it was thought a lumpectomy could remove the cancer because it had been caught early, but further tests revealed it had spread to her lymph nodes.
She had a second surgery to remove the lymph nodes under her arm, and of the 26 of the 28 lymph nodes removed, 24 contained cancer. This meant Liz had to undergo three months of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy.
After battling through a health nightmare again, Liz got the amazing news that she was in remission once more, and she now has one final infusion left.
Speaking about her first diagnosis in 2006, Liz started experiencing cold and cough symptoms in 2005, which she “rationalised” as normal winter ailments, but multiple courses of antibiotics from her doctor didn’t seem to help.
It worsened drastically while she was on holiday in Fuerteventura when she began shivering and struggling to sleep. As she used to work in the NHS, Liz knew the signs to look out for, and she went straight to A&E from the airport.
A blood test revealed a high white blood cell count, which sadly led to a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Liz said: “I had no inkling at all, but if I had, I would have done something about it. It’s one of those things – because I worked in the NHS, I didn’t want to waste people’s time.
“The likelihood was it wasn’t going to be anything serious. As soon as they told me my white cell count was very high, I knew it was something serious. My first instinct was that it was leukaemia. I didn’t know what type, but that was my first indication.”
This cancer, which is most common in children, impacts the white blood cells, affecting bone marrow and blood. Because it is so fast moving, it requires urgent treatment like chemotherapy, targeted therapy or stem cell transplants.
Liz, who describes herself as always having been a positive person, says she was able to take the diagnosis in her stride.
“My sister had Parkinson’s and sadly died. It was a very severe form. When I look at her life and the impact that disease had on her, cancer was nothing.
“I knew the likelihood was that I was going to survive and be able to live a relatively normal life. That wasn’t an option for my sister.”
Liz underwent treatment at Salford Royal Hospital before being transferred to The Christie.
“I think I’m grateful when I look back,” Liz said. “I’m grateful that I live in an area where I can go to The Christie.”
