A woman was diagnosed with breast cancer after her husband found a lump while giving her a cuddle in bed.
Avter Dhadwal, 58, was diagnosed with breast cancer aged just 22 in 1991, after finding a lump shortly after the birth of her second child, Bobby, now 35.
She beat the condition after a surgery to remove the cancer, followed by several rounds of chemo and radiotherapy, and moved on with her life.
Over three decades on, in 2024, husband Tom Flood, 61, found a small hard lump in her right breast when his hand brushed over her chest while giving her a cuddle in bed, prompting her to get it checked.
A mammogram and ultrasound revealed grade one invasive ductal carcinoma – caught in the early stages.
This time around, instead of a lumpectomy, Avter was told she would need a single mastectomy – the complete removal of her right breast.
Avter, from Rochester, Kent, is sharing her story to raise awareness and encourage others to check their breasts for lumps – as Tom’s observance meant she could be treated early.
The civil servant and mom-of-two said: “The first time I was diagnosed I had just given birth and initially the lump was thought to be a blocked milk duct.
“I had my lumpectomy and my treatment and five years on there was no recurrence, so life went on.
“Then in 2024, when Tom noticed a small lump when he put his arm around me in bed, I didn’t even give cancer a thought. I thought I’d already done it once, surely that won’t happen again!
“But by the time I had a biopsy and went to the hospital for the results, I had mentally prepared for it being breast cancer and thought I knew what to expect.
“So it floored me a bit when this time they wanted to do a mastectomy.
“It took me a while to look at myself in the mirror after, and I don’t look like I used to, but going through this definitely toughens you up.
“For me, I’ve had breast cancer twice and I know it’s not the end of the world. I see it as having had two reboots of myself.
“Everyone – even men – should check their breasts and chests. It takes seconds, and I tell my two sons to do it too.”
Avter went through months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy following her lumpectomy in her early 20s, and after getting a clear scan five years on, she was deemed cancer-free and put it behind her.
She juggled a career and raising her two young sons, Bobby and Jessy, now 38.
She had standard mammograms, as every woman does periodically, and each was clear, so she never considered she could face the same disease decades on.
So even when Tom found the lump and urged she get it checked out, she doubted it would be anything serious, she said.
Avter said: “I think my husband put his arm around me in bed, and asked, ‘What’s that?’
“It was a small hard lump, and he said I should get it checked out.
“I really thought it was nothing, I didn’t even give cancer a thought. I thought I’d already done that.
“But he insisted I get it checked, so I went to the doctor followed by the breast clinic where I had a meeting with a consultant, a mammogram and an ultrasound all in one morning.”
She was quickly diagnosed and was told she would need a mastectomy. She underwent the surgery in June 2024.
Because it had been removed, no chemo or radiotherapy were required after.
Avter said: “I said to my consultant before the surgery, ‘Please give me some kind of reconstruction so I don’t wake up all flat.
“They took skin from my back, to do an LD flap reconstruction, and she created a breast.
“I had been an E-cup before, and I couldn’t have dealt with having nothing. I did wake up a different size, but at least I still had a breast.
“For a while I had a C-cup and an E-cup breast, and I used to put things in my bra to even it out.
“After six months I had a reduction on the other breast privately, I was sick of stuffing my bra. One time I went swimming and it fell out!
“But my last mammogram was fine, and my next one is in December. This stuff really toughens you up.”
This meant she didn’t need any chemo or radiotherapy – and her scans have shown she is cancer-free ever since.
Avter said the first time she went through cancer, it was kept quiet within the family and not discussed.
But this time around, she has got support from family, friends, fellow cancer survivors and charities like Breast Cancer Now.
She has chosen to share her story widely to help others.
Avter said: “Once upon a time, it was ‘You’re Indian, we don’t talk about that.’
“But my family talk about it with me now, there’s been a mindset shift. There’s more awareness on TV and people talk. I didn’t have that before.”
Avter is now encouraging people to check their breasts for lumps and other changes – after her own lump was luckily found by chance.
She said: “It takes seconds. I’d go to the doctor for any lump now. If you’re unsure, get checked.
“After what I’ve been through, my outlook is to seize the moment, do what you do, and have no regrets.”
Avter is supporting the Asda Tickled Pink partnership with Breast Cancer Now and CoppaFeel! to raise awareness of chest checking. Find out more here.
