Mum says fake boobs pushed tumour to surface

Dental nurse Litha Georgiades, 49, had F-cup implants to boost both her figure and self-confidence after planned weight loss left her feeling a little flat.

Relaxing - Litha had F-cup implants to boost both her figure and self-confidence after planned weight loss left her feeling a little flat

Parent - Litha with son Edward 

But Litha claims the move saved her life after she felt something in her left breast and a doctor confirmed it was cancer.

Medics realised Litha had discovered the tumour sooner because the implant had pushed it towards the surface, otherwise it would have stayed hidden for much longer.

Brave Litha is still battling cancer but says she is determined to beat it and thanks her fake boobs for alerting her to the disease.

She said: "I'd always had nice boobs, and they just disappeared when I lost weight, so I got a boob job which really boosted my confidence.

"I absolutely loved my implants from the moment I got them. They looked amazing and I had no problems with them at all.

"I was washing my body in the shower when I suddenly felt this hard lump on my left breast - I'd never felt anything like it in my breast before.

''When the doctor told me that I had cancer, I felt absolutely devastated. I never ever thought that something like this would happen to me.

"Fear consumed me and I just thought I was going to die. I do feel so grateful that my implant had pushed the tumour out, otherwise I may never of know it was there.

"I have no family history of cancer and I had no pain or sensations from my left breast so the breast implant really did save my life.'''

Litha, from Southend, had felt deflated after losing weight made her breasts smaller, so decided to treat herself to a boob job.

She went under the knife at Broomfield Hospital in 2004 and boosted her natural C cup breasts to an impressive F cup.

Litha's confidence soared, and a year later, she welcomed her only son Edward in September 2005.

It wasn't until May 2011 that Litha felt a lump in her left breast and went to the doctor for an examination.

She said: "I went to the doctor straight away but this was around the time when all the PIP implants were being talked about.

"My doctor examined my breasts with her hands before she just dismissed the lump as a result of my implant.

"I'd already had the implants for a good seven years by this point so I did think it was strange that the lump would appear now if it was because of them, but the doctor seemed so certain that I just trusted her and went back home."

Litha still had her suspicions over the lump and when she noticed it had grown considerably bigger, she returned to her GP in May 2012.

The doctor's reaction was very different this time and Litha was immediately sent to the breast clinic at Southend Hospital for an ultrasound and biopsy.

After a three week wait, Litha was taken aback by the results of her tests that showed she had breast cancer.

The cancer had already spread to her sentinel lymph node and the poor mum was devastated to hear that she would need a mastectomy.

Litha said: "Finding out that I had cancer, and that it had already spread, and that I'd need a mastectomy all in the same appointment was very difficult.

"There's no history of cancer in my family so I'd gone to the hospital for the results of my test on my own because I was sure that everything would be fine.

"Breast cancer just wasn't something that I thought would happen to me, I was in total shock and I didn't know what to do with the news.

"It was so surreal, I didn't know who to call or what to say - it's such awful news, I didn't want to ruin anybody's day.

"I phoned my son's dad first, and then a few of my friends who had known I was going to get my results that day, and then I rang my mum.

"I felt like I'd been given a death sentence, and all I could think about was Edward and how I wanted to see him grow up and get married and become a grandma to his kids."

In July 2012, Litha underwent a mastectomy of her left breast with reconstructive surgery using a silicone implant taking place at the same time.

Following her surgery, Litha returned to the hospital every three months for reviews of her breast and appeared to be in recovery from the cancer.

Unfortunately, five years after her mastectomy, Litha found another lump under her left armpit and went straight back to her doctor in June 2017.

A biopsy was taken before a MRI scan and CT scan revealed that the cancer had spread to her armpit, neck and spine.

Litha said: "I honestly wasn't expecting the cancer to have come back and again I went for my results all on my own.

"In the five years of thinking I was in the clear, I'd been back to work full time and I'd bought an apartment for me and Edward so that we had a home that we could call ours.

"Hearing it had come back was completely devastating - I thought my struggle was over, but here I was battling cancer yet again.

"I had five blasts of radiotherapy on my neck which was just awful, it made me feel so sick and it made swallowing really difficult.

"They started me on oestrogen blockers to stop the cancer from spreading, but I was having to go to the hospital every month for these painful injections in my belly.

"I hated the injections, and eventually I opted to have my ovaries removed in March 2018.

"It was bitter sweet, as it would be for any woman, but I just could not deal with the injections every month for the rest of my life so it was the better choice for me."

Sadly, Litha's battle against cancer isn't over as scans earlier this year showed that the cancer has now spread to her femur and liver.

The single mum now abstains from alcohol and caffeine and follows a strict plant-based keto diet in the hope of stopping the cancer from spreading further.

Litha is due to start chemotherapy next month and is staying positive as she enters the seventh year of her battle against cancer for the sake of her son Edward, now 14.

Litha said: "Edward knows that I may be unwell sometimes, but I've never wanted to do one of those chats where I sit him down with his dad and cry over it because I know that would scare him.

"He loves science, so he'll ask me things like why am I going to the hospital, and I'll just explain that there's something bad in my body that the doctor needs to take out, and he pretty much accepts that.

"Edward's dad Ian and I split up back in 2010, but he's been great throughout all of this and he's an amazing dad to Edward.

"Although this is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, I feel so much good has come from my diagnosis.

"The love and support I have received from friends and family and even strangers has melted my heart.

"I feel so grateful to have such wonderful people in my life and I'm not giving up without a fight."

Litha's friends have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help Litha during her ongoing cancer battle.

Click here to donate.