A devastated mother-of-two has urged young people to check their bodies after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer at 24.
Sky Bampton found a lump in her right breast while she was expecting her son, Albie, in January 2023, but assumed it was just “to do with hormones” during pregnancy.
However, when she visited her GP in April, she was referred to a specialist who revealed — to her horror — it was cancer.
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Sky underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy before having a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in October last year.
In January, she was told the cancer had spread to her liver and was now incurable — with doctors giving her just two to three years to live.
Heartbroken Sky, now 25, said: “It was devastating. I’ve honestly never felt pain like it. I just felt my whole heart sink.
“It has been so difficult for me and my family. Emotionally and mentally, it has taken a huge impact.
“I never thought at 25 I would find myself in such a mess.
“I feel like I am carrying a massive weight on my shoulders every single day, and the sadness and reality of it all is something that doesn’t go away.
“We are all heartbroken.”
Sky has pleaded with people in their teens and 20s — who may not consider themselves at risk from cancer — to be aware of unusual changes to their bodies.
“If you find something, get it checked out and don’t wait,” she said.
“I never thought this would happen to me. All the young women and men think it won’t happen to them. It doesn’t even run in my family.”
Sky, from Southend, Essex, in the UK, who also has a five-year-old daughter, Elvana, said she “thought nothing” of the lump when it appeared on her breast in January last year and it was not until after Albie was born that she had it examined.
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“I found the lump in January but I didn’t get it checked until my son was six to eight weeks old — being pregnant I thought nothing of it,” she said.
“I just thought it was to do with hormones and, being 24 at the time, you don’t think it’s going to be anything sinister.
“And then Albie got to six to eight weeks old and they referred me to the breast clinic. And April 2023 was when I got diagnosed.”
Sky went through surgical procedures and chemotherapy from June to October to try to stop the cancer spreading.
But she then experienced unusual sensations in her back late last year, and a CT scan revealed a mark on her liver.
A further MRI scan later revealed numerous scattered lesions in the organ.
Since she got the news, Sky has researched high and low for a way to extend her life.
She is now seeking to supplement her conventional treatments with natural therapies and is looking at whether she can get medical assistance abroad.
Her relatives have also created a GoFundMe page to support Sky and her children.
“The two to three years life expectancy is based on statistics so nobody knows for sure,” Sky said.
“But for me, being given that news, I’m going to be with my kids as much as I can and make memories with them and look for possibilities that can go beyond the prognosis that I have been given.”