A COURAGEOUS Worcester woman has spoken about her battle with a form of breast cancer that will cut her life short.

Julie Price said she fears she will never get to see her eight-year-old son Callum grow up and hopes her story will inspire other people across the county to donate as much money as possible to Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the hope the charity can find a cure for her.

The 36-year-old, of Bilford Road, discovered the disease had returned in her bones about eight months after she had an operation to remove a lump from her left breast six years ago.

“I’m never going to be cancer-free but I’m stable at the moment,” she said. “My life has been shortened by it though. One day it will come back and I won’t be able to get rid of it.

“I feel like there’s nothing wrong with me at the moment.

“I’m healthy, happy and I feel great, but I am scared I won’t see my son grow up.”

Mrs Price, who has run Race for Life three times and works full-time for Worcestershire County Council’s children’s services department, said being diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2002 came as a shock because she just thought she had lumpy breasts from breastfeeding.

She said she had the two-inch lump removed within five days of a biopsy and underwent chemotherapy before the unthinkable happened.

“In the November of the same year it returned again,” said Mrs Price.

“It came back in the bones and that’s where it is at the moment. It will never be cured, but I’m lucky enough it hasn’t gone to the soft tissue – for the second time that’s quite lucky.”

Since then, the mother-of-one has been through another round of chemotherapy and took herceptin for about two years which helped control the cancer until she started reacting to the drug in March of this year.

She is now on a tablet form of chemotherapy called capecitabine and a trial drug call lapatinib. Mrs Price, who can no longer get life insurance, admitted she has tried to shield Callum, who attends Red Hill CofE Primary School, from her ordeal as much as possible with the help of her husband Jim, aged 37, a Unison case worker on behalf of Worcestershire County Council.

“We just call it ‘the nastiness’ but he has started to question it,” she said.

“My aim is to reach 40 and if I do I’ll have the biggest 40th birthday party ever.

“I keep hinting I would like to go on the Orient Express but I never have.”

It is currently breast cancer awareness month and hairdressers Fatboy Trims in Lowesmoor is holding a series of fund-raising events for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Owner Craig Spooner, who shaved Mrs Price’s head when she was going through her first bout of chemotherapy, said he has organised a raffle that will give away a pair of £135 pink GHD hair straighteners among other prizes, donating all tips taken this month as well as a percentage of the money taken on Saturday.

Ten pounds from the sale of every GHD will also be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Mrs Price said it meant a great deal to her that Mr Spooner was raising money with her in mind.

“I’m so glad people are raising money because the sooner more money goes to the charity, the sooner I can get a cure and see my son grow up,” she said.

For more information on Fatyboy Trims’ fund-raising call 01905 723280. Also visit breakthrough.org.uk