'My dog Gertie saved my life by helping to find my breast cancer'

'My dog Gertie saved my life by helping to find my breast cancer'3 days agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSusan Hanks,BBC Radio StokeandTom Oakley,West MidlandsSuppliedLesley Goodburn said there was "no doubt" that Gertie had saved her lifeLesley Goodburn has spent more than a decade encouraging people to pay attention to the warning signs of cancer, since the death of her husband.But when it came to her own diagnosis, she said it was her dog, Gertie, who spotted something she had missed.Goodburn was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer two years ago, after her pet bashed into her chest.The impact led to her noticing an unusual ridge in her breast - a symptom she later learned was linked to the disease, which accounts for about 15% of breast cancer diagnoses, according to researchers.Now free of cancer, Goodburn, from Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, wanted to raise awareness of the condition, which she said was often overlooked because it did not usually present as a lump."I'd never even heard of it," she told BBC Radio Stoke."The surprise was that it wasn't a lump, it was nothing that I'd felt. If the dog hadn't bashed my chest, maybe no-one would ever have known it was there."Lobular breast cancer is in the lobules, which is the bit that produces the milk. Quite often it doesn't form a lump - often it's a ridge."SuppliedLesley Goodburn has raised more than £50,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK in her husband's memoryUnlike many other breast cancers, she said symptoms could include itching, tingling, pulling sensations, dimpling or changes to the skin rather than a distinct lump."It isn't always picked up on mammograms," she said."People can go and have a mammogram, get the all clear and then, a few months later, get diagnosed with lobular breast cancer."Goodburn had chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy following her diagnosis, before being told she was in remission....