Shanice Bennett, from Kent, was 24 when she groped a lump in the right breast. According to her, the doctor assured her that it was not cancer, but probably just a blocked milk duct. The newspaper informs about it. The policewoman insisted on further examination because the lump was growing and becoming more painful. In May 2023, she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
The young woman underwent a mastectomy and the lymph nodes in her hands were also removed. After demanding chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she believed that she had defeated the insidious disease. Everything changed in June 2024. Excruciating back pain drove Shanice to the emergency room. Doctors informed her that the cancer had not only returned, but had spread to her bones. This time it was the fourth stage, which is incurable.
“One night I woke up and the pain was simply unbearable. The next day I couldn’t get out of bed, sit down or get dressed. I thought I just dislocated a disc or hurt my back somehow,” said Shanice from Sittingbourne, England.
She wasn’t shocked when she was told she had breast cancer, but she didn’t expect it the second time. “I’m young, I’ve been through all the treatment, so I thought I’d be fine,” she added. Back pain can be a symptom of secondary breast cancer, when the disease has spread to other parts of the body.
In her case, the cancer spread to the spine, where it caused the collapse of one vertebra, then to the pelvis, skull, liver and lungs. Although she has yet to receive an exact prognosis, treatment is going well so far and Shanice remains optimistic. She now tries to make the most of her time, attending as many concerts as possible and creating a travel bucket list that she shares on TikTok. She visited Rhodes twice, took her nephew to Disneyland in Paris, was in New York and attended her mother’s wedding.
Next year, he has tickets to concerts of his favorite musicians, including James Arthur and Ariana Grande. “There’s nothing you can do about it. The situation is out of my control. If I just sit and be sad, it won’t change anything.” Shanice remarked. “And if I just sat at home and felt sorry for myself, I would once blame myself for wasting time worrying instead of doing what I want,” she stated.
She is still employed as a police officer, but she has not been able to work for over a year, which destroys her, as it has been her dream job since childhood. Shanice confides that she is part of a support group program at the hospital, but she can’t really relate to anyone. “I’m the youngest in the ward, everyone else is in their 50s and 60s. Cancer is the same for everyone, but when you’re younger, it’s different, you haven’t experienced so much yet,” admits.
Thanks to TikTok, she managed to find people of a similar age and situation. “When I was diagnosed with stage four, I decided to start uploading videos to maybe help others. It’s great to be able to connect with people my age from all over the country. I’ve made friendships I never would have met otherwise.” she confessed.
