Vickie Doogan received Poochon Dolly to assist her by means of breast most cancers restoration – however her beloved pet was recognized with the identical illness
Vickie Doogan was shocked, as she was match and wholesome (Picture: Vickie Doogan/SWNS)
A lady who acquired a canine to assist her deal with a second breast most cancers prognosis was left surprised when her beloved pet was struck down by the exact same sickness and likewise required a mastectomy. Vickie Doogan, 52, was first recognized with breast most cancers on the age of 39, after discovering a lump in her left arm.
Vickie was left reeling by the information, as she was match and wholesome, however fortunately responded properly to chemotherapy and made a powerful restoration following her remedy. Nonetheless, on the age of 44 she acquired a second prognosis and underwent a double mastectomy to scale back the probability of the most cancers returning for a 3rd time.
She welcomed Dolly, a Poochon, into her dwelling to assist her throughout her recuperation, however seven years later, in February 2026, the tables have been turned when Dolly was additionally recognized with breast most cancers, after Vickie took her to the vet as a consequence of abdomen ache. The canine needed to bear a canine mastectomy, however fortunately recovered simply as swiftly as her proprietor. The pair at the moment are each cancer-free and Vickie is raring to display that life can nonetheless be lived to the total, regardless of a most cancers prognosis.
Vickie, a recruiter from Ascot, Berkshire, stated: “Once I was first recognized with breast most cancers, I used to be completely floored. I used to be 39, match, wholesome, and there was no lump in my breast.
“Chemo was brutal, however fortunately I responded properly to it. In 2018, once I was recognized once more, I simply could not imagine it.
“I came upon I’ve the altered BRCA2 gene, that means I am extra predisposed to breast most cancers, so I had an elective double mastectomy. The surgical procedure was superb; I had implants put within the subsequent day.
“I received Dolly after my second prognosis to be my buddy, as I used to be at dwelling so much. She’s like my shadow, she’s essentially the most good little canine.
“In February 2026, I took Dolly to the vet as she had an upset abdomen and so they discovered a lump underneath one in all her nipples. The vet stated she wanted to have a mastectomy, I used to be so shocked, I did not even know canines may have mastectomies.
“She bounced again simply in addition to I did, individuals stated it is like she’s mirroring how I handled it. Now I am residing my finest life once more, it is all in my previous. I would like individuals to know that though breast most cancers is horrifying, you possibly can nonetheless dwell a extremely full life.”
Vickie first seen one thing was flawed in November 2013, when she turned conscious of a uninteresting ache beneath her arm. “I used to be the fittest and healthiest I would ever been and I used to be actually trying ahead to turning 40,” she stated.
Vickie Doogan, 52, was first recognized with breast most cancers in 2013 (Picture: Vickie Doogan/SWNS)
Initially, she attributed the discomfort to swollen glands beneath her arm, but upon discovering a lump, her instincts informed her it was way more critical. She visited her GP, who referred her to a Breast Care Unit, the place a biopsy confirmed she had invasive breast most cancers, which had unfold to her arm.
The prognosis left Vickie each shocked and livid, as she had been match and wholesome with no detectable lump on her breast. She was instantly positioned on eight rounds of “brutal” chemotherapy, which she thankfully responded properly to, earlier than present process a lumpectomy to take away the remaining most cancers.
Following 15 rounds of radiotherapy and a 12 months and a half of month-to-month oestrogen blockers, Vickie was overjoyed to be given the all-clear. She threw herself again into life wholeheartedly, but after her fifth annual mammogram in 2018, she was devastated to study that the most cancers had returned.
Her medical group have been stunned by the recurrence given her age, and subsequent genetic testing revealed that she carries the altered BRCA2 gene, making her considerably extra vulnerable to breast most cancers. “It made good sense to me; I used to be glad to have some reasoning behind it,” Vickie stated.
She launched into one other course of chemotherapy and, owing to the genetic mutation, Vickie opted for an elective double mastectomy to scale back the probability of the most cancers returning. The process was a hit and Vickie was capable of have reconstruction carried out on the identical day.
Throughout her recuperation, Vickie determined to get a canine to carry some consolation and calm to her days at dwelling. She welcomed Poochon Dolly in October 2018.
She immediately adored the little canine, however in February 2026, she seen that Dolly had developed an upset abdomen. A go to to the vet led to the invention of a lump beneath one in all her nipples.
Dolly underwent a “doggy mastectomy” to take away the most cancers and, thankfully, given its low grade, required no additional remedy. Each at the moment are cancer-free.
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Vickie options amongst these affected by breast most cancers in Breast Most cancers Now’s newest tv commercial. She is lending her assist to the charity Breast Most cancers Now, as newly launched figures present that nearly a million individuals (920,000) are at the moment residing with or past a breast most cancers prognosis within the UK, a determine anticipated to climb to greater than 1.4 million by 2050.
The charity has pledged to be ‘Breast Most cancers Now till we’re Breast Most cancers By no means’ – consistent with its formidable purpose that by 2050, everybody recognized with breast most cancers will dwell and dwell properly. Breast Most cancers Now’s mission is to press on till a future is achieved the place each breast most cancers affected person lives and lives properly. Discover out extra at breastcancernow.org
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