A YOUNG woman who had to put her wedding plans on hold after being diagnosed with breast cancer has spoken out about how she is taking control back of her life.

Anita Colson was just 24 when she was diagnosed with the disease, throwing her entire life into turmoil.

The recruitment manager had been about to start looking for wedding venues with her fiancé Scott Jarvis, 30.

She said: “I had already bought all of my bridal jewellery like my necklace and my tiara, I’d asked all of my bridesmaids and we had a big engagement party.

“Scott and lots of other people said we should just go ahead and get married anyway but I wanted the big wedding I’d dreamed of since I was six, with the big dress and lots of people there.”

Anita, who lives off Springfield Drive, Westcliff, found a lump in her breast in October 2015 and was referred to the hospital for an ultrasound.

A consultant believed the lump was likely the result of a trauma and said they could do a biopsy at a later date to make sure but, knowing she was terrified of needles and unlikely to come back again, Anita asked for the biopsy to be performed there and then.

But, despite being reassured doctors were confident she did not have cancer, Anita, who is now 25, was dealt a blow when she returned for her follow-up appointment.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it. They called me in and said it was breast cancer. You go into your own little world thinking, ‘but you told me it wasn’t’.

“The consultant said they were all as surprised as she was, that it hadn’t presented like cancer.”

So began a whirlwind of tests and treatments, which eventually revealed that she had not one but three tumours in her breast and would need a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

As her cancer was so aggressive she continues to have chemotherapy injections every three weeks, hormone therapy injections every four weeks and has to take three tablets a day and has another injection ever six months.

The treatment has also put her chances of becoming a mum at risk as it can affect fertility.

She said: “I try not to get caught up in the emotions of it all. If I stop and think about it all then it’s really hard. I’ve had to put my wedding on hold and I’ve seen other people get married and have families and I think, this should be the time for me and my fiancé Scott to do the same.”

The side effects of the treatment also meant that she put on more than two stone.

But now she has decided to take control of her life, has vowed to lose weight and signed up to do Race for Life in Garon Park in Southend on Sunday, May 7. She will be their guest of honour on the day and talk about her experience.

She said: “It’s really hard to not have control in your life, I can’t control how quickly my hair grows, I can’t control the treatment they give me, I’m still having chemotherapy injections and hormone treatment, but now I’ve taken back some control by doing Race for Life and losing weight, it makes me feel better about things.

“I’ve lost over four stone already, I was a bit overweight before I was diagnosed and then I put on around two stone, but now I want to get all of the extra weight off, become healthier and I’m going to do Race for Life every year. I did it last year after my fifth chemotherapy session. The treatment really took it out of me, and yes I was really slow, but it doesn’t matter how long it takes, the point is you’re there, having fun and raising money for such a good cause.”

“I feel like I’ve used up my nine lives already and that’s hard to think about when you’re so young but it makes me realise how important Cancer Research UK’s work is. I believe it’s thanks to research that I’m standing here.” Danielle Glavin, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Essex, said: “We’re delighted to have Anita as our special guest at Southend’s Race for Life. We hope her story will inspire women in Essex to take part and raise funds for crucial research that makes a real difference in the fight against cancer.

“You can walk, jog or run around the course, it’s not about being first over the finish line - it’s the taking part that counts.

“Every step participants take together will help to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. Money raised - whether it’s £20 or £200 - will help Cancer Research UK scientists find new ways to treat cancer and save more lives.”

One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Survival rates have doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.

Every day, 90 people are diagnosed with cancer in the East. That’s why the charity wants women in Essex to pull on their leggings, limber up and join like-minded ladies committed to the cause. It’s time to unite, join the fight and help beat cancer sooner. Sign up at raceforlife.org.