A GORBALS nurse diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer believes a hug from her three-year-old son may have saved her life. “Noah was sitting on my knee and I was giving him a hug, trying to get him dressed for nursery,” explains Ashley McLean. “After I pulled on his t-shirt he tried to run away and accidentally elbowed me in the chest.
“It was really painful.” Ashley McLean (Image: CRUK) Later, Ashley noticed her breast was red and inflamed and her nipple was inverted. “I couldn’t feel a lump so I thought it might be just hormonal, but when I told my mum she said that I should make a GP appointment,” adds the 37-year-old, who also has a five-year-old daughter, Ayla.
Ashley with Noah and Ayla (Image: CRUK) Just weeks later, hospital tests revealed she had inflammatory breast cancer, which occurs in fewer than five out of 100 breast cancer cases. Symptoms, which include swelling, redness of the breast, changes to the nipple and pain, can appear quite suddenly. “It’s been a tough few months,” explains Ashley.
“I had been feeling tired but I thought that was just because I was a busy mum and I sometimes worked night shifts at the hospital.” The diagnosis felt like a “hammer blow” after a challenging time for the family. READ NEXT: 'He stopped breathing': Miracle baby leaves hospital after 320 days Ashley’s son Noah has a rare chronic lung condition known as bronchiolitis obliterans.
It has meant repeated stays in hospital and up until April th.