Breast cancer survivor's life transformed by wonder drug

Inspirational Amanda Robertson had her world turned upside down when she noticed swelling near her sternum bone.

The 47-year-old, who runs baby swimming classes across the central belt, thought it might be caused by over-exercising, but when the inflammation got worse, she decided to contact her GP.

An ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy at Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow revealed a potential tumour.

Amanda, from Lenzie, said: “I was on my own at the appointment as I wasn’t expecting any kind of news like that. I thought that maybe it was a cyst.

“The lady who did the ultrasound was lovely. She said that there was something here that needed to be looked at and I just burst into tears.

“I think I went into shock. I went outside and sat in my car to call my husband, my mum and my business partner.

“I felt like a zombie, it was like an out-of-body experience as I just tried to process the news.”

Amanda already had a family holiday booked and was encouraged by her doctors to go away and enjoy the break. She says the holiday gave her a chance to process the news with family, but that it was also an anxious time waiting for confirmation of her diagnosis.

She said: “It felt therapeutic having that time with my family but in the second week of the holiday I was getting anxious about what was ahead and I sent my consultant an email.

“He was able to come back and tell me it was a grade one, stage one tumour. It was cancer, but it had been detected early.”

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Amanda had lumpectomy surgery in July last year, but all the precancerous cells were only removed at a second operation in August. As the cancer was oestrogen-driven, Amanda was offered an Oncotype DX test which predicts how likely breast cancer is to spread. Thankfully her score was low and doctors advised it was not necessary for her to have chemotherapy.

She had three weeks of radiotherapy last October and is receiving injections every three months to help suppress the production of oestrogen in her body.

Amanda is being given wonder drug Tamoxifen - a life-saving hormone therapy for breast cancer in both men and women, developed with the help of Cancer Research UK.

Tamoxifen is now a mainstay treatment for premenopausal women with hormone-positive breast cancer. The charity has also funded work proving the benefit of the treatment in preventing breast cancer in women deemed high-risk.

To mark a year since her diagnosis, Amanda has signed up for Swimathon 2023. She’ll swim 1.5k in May at Rutherglen Swimming Pool to raise money for Cancer Research UK and the end-of-life charity Marie Curie. 

The sponsored event offers a challenge for swimmers young and old, new and experienced. People can sign up to MySwimathon, which takes place from April 28 to May 21, and choose a time and venue that suits them.

Swimathon president Duncan Goodhew with supporters. (Image: Supplied)

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Scotland, Lisa Adams, said: “Whether you supercharge your swim and take on the 30.9k challenge or 5k is more in your lane, with Swimathon there’s a distance to suit everyone while supporting people like Amanda.”

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Marie Curie’s Director of Community Fundraising, Jayne Waterhouse, added: “The money that Marie Curie receives through Swimathon fundraisers goes towards helping our nurses, bereavement counsellors, and support line staff to deliver vital care and support to people with a terminal illness and their families across the UK

Sign up for Swimathon 2023 at swimathon.org