Su Candy, a 58-year-old housewife and mother who lives near Luton, reveals how her breast cancer was picked up by a routine mammogram. After undergoing surgery and starting chemotherapy, she has been writing a no-holds barred blog about her experiences - read The Bald Woman's Blog by clicking here

Here is her story:

'As life did not bless me with beauty nor even a vast amount of intelligence to compensate, it did at least bestow on me a highly practical streak and an ability to express myself with words. Both these gifts have been of great use to me over the years and recently I have been able to put both to good use.

'When, therefore, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June this year, my first thought was not so much for my breast and how to retain it but how to get rid of the invader of my body in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Not everyone will think like that but I have only my own experience to call on - although a work colleague (who co-incidentally shares my birthday) thought exactly the same way when she discovered she, too, had breast cancer five years ago. She is now a breast cancer survivor, having discovered and dealt with the lump in the very early stages.

'With no history of cancer, breast or otherwise, in the family, I tended to think it would never happen to me. I thought I was exempt, possibly untouchable. And that made me rather flippant - even arrogant - thinking: "Poor them, it will never happen to me." Of course, like all women, I was 'breast aware.' It would be stupid not to check regularly for anything abnormal, just in case. After all, checking costs only a few minutes of your time and could save your life. It is one area where women can empower themselves and take charge.

'How come then I didn't find mine? I don't know, to be honest. What I do know is that had I never gone for that mammogram – and I very nearly didn't – the outcome would have been very different. The lump was located behind the nipple and even after the diagnosis, when I knew where it was, I still couldn't feel it very well. I asked the doctor if I should have spotted it myself and even he agreed it would have been difficult at that time.

'He added that given another two months I would not have failed to notice it. Now two months is a very long time not to notice you have cancer, in my book, and by then the lump could have been twice its size – it was 119mm when it was removed. I could have possibly lost most of my breast, maybe even all of it, or worse it might have spread past my lymph nodes and invaded my body further.

'I have been saved from something I had no knowledge of and could not feel until a sample had been taken from it, and I would have gone on hosting that cancer until it became too big to have the results that I have now - which are positive and good, both cosmetically and healthwise.

'I was saved from all this by a routine mammogram that took half an hour of my day but saved my life. How's that for odds?'