A 36-year-old woman living with terminal breast cancer has spoken of her determination to "make the most" of her life after being given a prognosis of just three to five years.
Kayleigh Ewan's story comes as The Office actress Lucy Davis, 53, revealed she has incurable stage four breast cancer which has spread to her spine, hip and ribs. The actress admitted she almost ignored a tiny hard spot in her breast - a warning sign Kayleigh knows all too well.
Early signs and diagnosis
Kayleigh, from Dorset, was just 27 when she first found a lump behind her nipple in December 2017. "It felt like a small pea, it was hard, behind the nipple," she said. Because she had previously had breast implants, she went straight to her surgeon rather than her GP.
Although initially told the lump was likely scarring, a return visit six months later brought devastating news: stage two invasive ductal carcinoma. She underwent a mastectomy, reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy.
Return of cancer
For years, Kayleigh believed she had beaten the disease. Her annual mammograms only scanned her remaining breast, as doctors believed the cancer could not return in the breast that had been removed.
However, eight years after her original diagnosis, Kayleigh began experiencing a series of unexplained symptoms, including intensely itchy skin, pins and needles, dead legs, lower back pain, and overwhelming fatigue. Despite repeated trips to her GP, every test came back clear. "Every test that came back fine, I thought it was in my head," she said.
Eventually, an elevated ferritin level prompted further investigation. During a scan in September 2025, a radiographer spotted something on her liver. "I had a gut instinct," she said. "I phoned my husband and I said to him they are going to be in contact with me." Further scans showed cancer had spread to her liver and spine, returning as metastatic breast cancer.
Living with uncertainty
"You don't know day to day - has it grown? Am I going to find out it's progressed? You live in fear," Kayleigh said. She is now receiving targeted and hormone treatment, but has been given a prognosis of three to five years.
She is refusing to let her diagnosis define every day, and documents her experience online under the handle @kayleighterminallyonline, filming a video every day "until I die." Her diagnosis has also forced the 36-year-old to confront the future she once imagined for herself. Because her hormone-led cancer meant she could not safely undergo egg harvesting, she was unable to have children, and she has had to accept that she may never grow old.
"I just cried," she said. "I'm not going to get old. But if you keep going, surely you'll have a different outcome than if you don't."
Connecting with Lucy Davis
When actress Lucy Davis posted on Instagram about her own stage four diagnosis, urging women not to ignore tiny changes in their bodies, Kayleigh wanted to reach out. "Because I'm quite public with mine, seeing hers I wanted to connect with her," she said. "We have cancer in common. Speaking to other people who have the same thing, it's a whole different ballgame. Her attitude is like mine. I want to make the most of the time I have left."
Kayleigh remains determined to fill the time she has with experiences rather than fear. "I just want to visit as much of the world as I can," she said. "I want to go to Australia. I’m going to Corfu soon, and Jamaica." Like Lucy, she hopes speaking openly about terminal breast cancer will encourage others to take changes in their bodies seriously. "Until I got cancer, I didn't give mammograms a second thought," she said. "But the NHS should do routine scans."
In a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, Lucy explained: "A year-and-a-half ago I was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, which has metastasised to my bones. Specifically to my spine, right hip, and my ribs. The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo. The initial lump that I felt, wasn't a 'lump' as such; rather a kind of hard spot. Really tiny. I almost didn't bother getting it checked. So I guess I'm saying don't ignore anything - get everything checked out."
She has since thanked fans for their support following the announcement, replying to dozens of comments under her post. Lucy replied to one comment expressing hope for new treatments. A fan called Jane Grant wrote to Lucy: "I was diagnosed in December 2025 with breast cancer - stage 4 as like you it had already spread to my spine rib and pelvic bone- no chemo or surgery options and so am on immunotherapy drugs - hoping to survive for many years to come god willing. New treatments are being discovered all the time xx." Lucy replied: "That's what I'm thinking. And so sorry you're dealing with this. Love to you."
Catherine Priestley, senior clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Now, said secondary or metastatic breast cancer affects an estimated 61,000 people in the UK. "Secondary or metastatic breast cancer occurs when breast cancer cells spread from the breast to another part of the body, such as the bones, lungs, liver or brain," she said. "There are treatments that can slow its progression, but it can't currently be cured. It's really important that people who have been treated for primary breast cancer know the signs that the cancer may be spreading. General symptoms include feeling constantly tired, constant nausea, unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite. We would always encourage people to speak to their treatment team or GP if they have any new and persistent symptoms."
Nurse Catherine said: "Life expectancy is difficult to predict as each person's case is different and no two cancers progress - spread or develop in new areas - or respond to treatment in the same way. A lot of progress has been made in building our understanding of why breast cancer spreads and developing new treatments, so more and more people are living longer after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis."
Breast Cancer Now has a range of free online and in-person services for anyone affected, and a confidential helpline staffed by expert nurses. Call 0808 800 6000, or see our website for further information.
