Manx Breast Cancer Survivor: Don’t Be Afraid

A breast cancer survivor has urged others “not to be scared to get checked out”.

Chiara Mazzone had been attending annual screening appointments due a family history of the disease when she found out she had the condition herself.

She said, having developed a non-cancerous lump in 2006, she had initially thought the tumour was part of that.

But finding the cancer early was “key”, she said, adding: “If it hadn’t been found earlier, my situation could have been completely different.”

Following her diagnosis she underwent a double mastectomy and received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well, finishing her treatment in August 2024.

She said she decided to “shave my hair off” after noticing it “coming out in clumps” during her treatment, and it became something that involved the whole family.

“I have five kids so they all helped one day, and my husband also shaved his head,” she said.

She said despite being “utterly devastated” when she first found out, there had been “so many positives” that had come out the experience through the support she received.

The experience meant her mindset had become “completely different because you don’t know what is going to happen the next day”, she added.

And on Friday she will be one of 29 cancer survivors modelling in a fashion show in Douglas to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Organised to raise funds for support charities Isle of Man Breast Care and Breast Cancer Now, the annual Fashion For Life event takes place at the Villa Marina.

Bruno Benton, who was one of eight men diagnosed with breast cancer between 2011 and 2021 on the island, will also be taking part in that event.

he said he first noticed a lump on the right side of his chest in 2019 and he went to the GP about it.

After initially being told it was probably a cyst, he insisted on a second opinion a few weeks later.

Although the second doctor also thought it could be a cyst, he was sent further tests and a subsequent biopsy found that it was breast cancer.

“She may well have saved my life,” he said, adding he was “blessed” that his cancer was detected at an early stage.

“It is so important if you have a lump anywhere you should go to the doctor,” he said.

Mr Barton said within one month he had been operated before being treated with tablets.

Now in remission, he said the experience “certainly made me appreciate life and the here and now”.

Sue Quilleash, who was diagnosed in the autumn of 2006, said she had first her left breast was “a bit pink” while showering before it become swollen a few days later.

After visiting her GP she was referred for tests, and although it was not detected in an ultrasound or a mamogram, a biopsy revealed she had a “highly aggressive breast cancer”.

Ms Quilleash underwent radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, and the treatment affected her hair, nails and skin.

“The chemotherapy was harsh but I had to know that I had given myself the best chance of survival,” she said.

“I have learnt that life is what you make of it.”

Ms Quilleash will also be among those taking to the catwalk at the Fashion For Life event, which takes place at the Villa Marina on Friday at 20:00 BST.