‘I’ve seen many mastectomies – but that didn’t prepare me for experiencing it’

A hospital theatre nurse found herself needing treatment from her colleagues after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kerry Noble is a theatre co-ordinator and senior sister at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, so is usually the one caring for patients.

But she ended up in one of the theatres she works at after a routine mammogram detected the cancer.

Kerry, 58, said her colleagues’ care was ‘faultless’ and organised a charity cake sale as a way of saying thank you and raising money for breast cancer care.

She said: “I was anxious about being so vulnerable in front of my colleagues but they were fantastic and really looked after me.

“Mr Poddar and the surgical team were amazing, and I can’t fault the clinicians I dealt with along the way.

“Even the radiographer doing my mammogram was so caring and gave me a hug when I was upset.”

Kerry attended a routine screening in 2023 in a mobile unit in a supermarket car park, and then received a letter inviting her for further tests.

Initially she was not concerned, as she had previously been diagnosed with cysts that had been picked up during a screening. She was also dealing with the unexpected death of her mum, and moving into a new house on her own.

But further tests revealed suspected cancer, and Kerry was given the devastating diagnosis just days before her mum’s funeral.

She said: “I was actually away, supporting my dad, and when my phone rang with an unknown number my heart sank.

“I have a strong family history, with four out of five aunts who died from breast cancer, and one of my cousins has also been diagnosed, so I knew the routine mammograms were really important.

“Even though I was expecting it, it was still hard to hear, but Mr Poddar was fantastic and sorted out all my appointments over the phone that day.”

Kerry had a mastectomy with reconstruction, but experienced complications during and after the operation.

She said: “I had recently reconnected with three friends I trained with back in 1986; we shared a flat back then.

“They really stepped up and put together a rota so they could all look after me and take me to appointments for the first two weeks.

“Three colleagues, Karen, Andrea and Kelly, were also amazing and helped shower me, cooked dinners, and changed dressings. Without them all I wouldn’t have coped.”

“It was a bit of a shock to the system – I could assist with a mastectomy as a scrub nurse so I knew what was involved but I had no idea what would come before or after.

“My motto is one day at a time and that’s exactly what I did.”

Kerry needed eight months off work and has had to adjust her role because of the after-effects of her treatment.

But she was determined to say thank you to her colleagues for their support and organised a raffle and cake sale to mark the second anniversary of her surgery. She baked more than 100 cupcakes, cheesecakes and other treats for colleagues to share.

She said: “I have always baked, but last year I wasn’t well enough so this year I decided I would go for it.

“It was a better way to remember that day, by giving back to my colleagues and raising money for charity.

“We raised £820 for Breast Cancer UK, which was absolutely amazing, and everyone got together and had a brilliant time; it was a real morale booster.

“I have been very open about my journey and people will come and talk to me about their own worries or something a family member is going through and I’m always happy to listen and share my own experiences.

“It has been difficult, and I will never be the same person I was two years ago, but I have a new grandson to enjoy, and new adventures to look forward to.”