A mother diagnosed with an incurable cancer has shared her heartbreaking fear of dying and leaving her young daughter alone. Single mum Rachel Pilling, 38, from St Helens, has an incredibly close bond with her five-year-old daughter Meghan.
Meghan was born in August 2020, and the pair have done 'everything together' ever since. Describing their relationship, Rachel said: 'We're so close, me and Meg and my mum and dad. We have so many amazing memories. Meg is a really happy little girl, a little diva. She has a little attitude and personality. And she's also a young carer, so she will help me with chores and things. She's a good girl, I'm so proud of her.'
Devastating diagnosis
Rachel was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer in November 2022, which devastated the family. What scares her the most is the fear of Meghan being alone. She said: 'My diagnosis made me realise my family and friends are perfect, they are brilliant. My goal now is to make it to Meghan's 30th birthday. It's sad to think that way, but you just don't know what time you have. Getting to her 30th would mean everything to me. I don't want her to be on her own, it's my biggest fear as a parent. It's the only thing I'm frightened of.'
Discovering the lump
Rachel first noticed something was wrong in August 2022 while lying in bed watching TV. She said: 'I was laid on my back and my boobs looked odd. I felt it and felt a massive lump, which turned out to be an 11cm tumour. I thought, oh my god, how have I missed it? How have I not seen it?' The tumour turned out to be benign. Further scans later revealed a second lump hidden behind the benign tumour in her breast; tests confirmed it was cancerous.
Rachel said: 'It was heartbreaking, I was devastated. When I first got told it hit me quite hard. I had to think, in terms of Meg, what am I going to do? I've got used to it in a way now. It's not curable, but treatable.'
Raising funds and awareness
The mum has spent the last three years undergoing chemotherapy, scans and hospital appointments while raising her daughter alone. She is now raising funds to host a charity event in aid of Breast Mates, the support group she credits as her 'lifeline.' She said: 'I want to say thank you. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here with my little girl. I also want to raise awareness for younger people to get checked.'
Breast cancer symptoms
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of breast cancer in women may include:
- A lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- A change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (may look like orange peel) or redness (may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
- A change in size or shape of one or both breasts
- Nipple discharge (if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it
- A change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema)
- Pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away – breast pain that comes and goes is usually not a symptom of breast cancer
