Beth Jenkins, a 41-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil, was told she was "too young to have breast cancer" before receiving a devastating diagnosis in November 2024. Now, two years of traumatic treatment later, she has organised a fundraising event called Breast Fest that has sold out two venues.
From lump to diagnosis
In 2018, Beth felt a lump in her breast but says she was told it was a fat tissue lump. After giving birth to daughter Robyn in 2023, the lump increased in size and became painful. After mentioning it to another doctor, she was sent for a scan and received the diagnosis.
The cancer was ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative, meaning it was brought on by hormones that changed during pregnancy. It had already spread to her lymph nodes.
She says: "I didn't have a clue that this could happen – that's what's scary. If I hadn't gone back to the doctors and I hadn't listened to my body I don't know where I'd be now. If I had listened when I was told it was an infection I would be looking at a totally different story now."
Sold-out venues and growing support
Tickets for the live music event in Merthyr sold so quickly that Beth had to change venues from Pentrebach Labour Club to Merthyr Labour Club, which has also sold out. The event is scheduled for November 14, the anniversary of her cancer diagnosis.
It will raise funds for Cancer Aid Merthyr Tydfil, who are supporting a local boy fighting bone cancer, and raise awareness that breast cancer can happen at any age and that a second opinion is vital. The event features local performers plus Dublin singer-songwriter Jake Sulman, who is headlining for free.
Friends Rhiannon Davies and Gemma Arthur have been selling tickets, 34 local companies have sponsored the event, and Cosy Cwtch, a local holiday let company, has paid for Jake's travel and accommodation.
Traumatic treatment and family impact
Beth's treatment included surgery, intense chemotherapy, radiotherapy, anaphylactic shock from medication, a mastectomy, a hysterectomy, and health scares due to a low immune system. She was admitted to Velindre Hospital on Christmas Day with cellulitis and ended up on the palliative care ward, where she bonded with another woman called Fran, who sadly passed away.
She says: "Cancer affects the whole family in so many ways. My husband Lee then was out of work because he was self-employed because he was obviously looking after the kids. The financial impact of cancer is massive and I don't think you realise it until you go through it really."
Beth credits her husband Lee for carrying the family, including other members diagnosed with cancer at the same time. Her daughter Fallon has helped with fundraising and given a school presentation about dealing with breast cancer.
Positive memories and future plans
Beth began with a pyjama and toiletries fundraiser, then planned Breast Fest. She says: "I wanted revisiting Velindre and Prince Charles Hospital to be a positive one, taking in the collections from the pyjama fundraiser into both places was important."
She adds: "It is more than just a charity event, it's a thank you to everyone who has supported me and all the businesses who have stepped in, it's a way to raise awareness and it's a way to say I will fight, I will fight to show people there are ways to help to beat cancer - the fundraising from this event will go to Cancer Aid Merthyr Tydfil and a little boy called Riley, who is fighting bone cancer."
