A HEREFORD cancer survivor has spoken of her sleepless nights after she found a new lump in her chest.

Jan Poole, a teaching assistant at St Francis Xavier's school in Hereford, had a double mastectomy after breast cancer in 2015, but has featured in a bare-chested mastectomy photoshoot for Stand Up To Cancer since.

But she was sent for an urgent scan by her GP after a new lump appeared on her chest in March this year.

Nothing serious was found, and that's when Ms Poole, 54, realised she wanted to give something back to Cancer Research UK.

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"I had already decided to do something of my own for Race for Life at Home, because I have so many lovely, emotional memories of past events," she said.

"I started doing Race for Life long before my own cancer diagnosis, and I did it with my daughter three days after my chemo finished.

"I tried not to get too worried about the lump in my chest, but I couldn't sleep before my appointment and the idea of hula-hooping for Race for Life at Home came to me in the small hours of the morning."

Scans showed her worries were unfounded and the lump was just a cyst, but she says the experience brought back forcefully the anxieties from her cancer diagnosis.

Her next challenge is to put a new spin on Race for Life by taking on her own "hula-thon" and hooping in colleagues at the school where she works.

Pupils at the school have rallied round to coach her in the playground, and she has been determined to master the skill in time for Race for Life at Home on April 24, when she and colleagues will be spinning their socially distanced hula-hoops at Bishop's Meadow.

Ms Poole and her friends will join thousands of people from across the UK who have all vowed to support Race for Life at Home this weekend and raise money for life-saving research.

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Cancer Research UK said it has predicted a staggering £300 million drop in income caused by COVID-19 over the next three years which could put future medical breakthroughs at risk.

All 400 mass-participation Race for Life events across the UK were cancelled last year to protect the country's health during the coronavirus pandemic, and events that were scheduled for this spring and early summer have also now been postponed.

Rather than do the standard 5K run, Jan came up with her wacky idea of a hula-thon during a sleepless night worrying about a hospital appointment to investigate a lump she had found on her chest.

Ms Poole said: "I know how vital it is to keep raising funds for life-saving research.

"My breast cancer was diagnosed through an early mammogram because my sister and five aunts had had breast cancer.

"My cancer was found to be invasive, so in addition to my double mastectomy I had chemotherapy and also 12 months of Herceptin injections, a drug that Cancer Research UK helped develop.

"I'm very excited about my Race for Life at Home challenge and have got quite a few friends and colleagues joining in. We're looking forward to the chance to raise funds for research to help develop gentler and more effective treatments for cancer." 

Jane Redman, Cancer Research UK's spokesperson for Herefordshire, said: "Even whilst we're still apart, we can unite against cancer.

"There are a million reasons to Race for Life at Home, to help save lives, for those who have had vital treatment delayed or just for a reason to get off the sofa. We want people to run, walk, jog – or do something mad like hula-hooping - to raise money for life-saving research.

"The truth is, Covid-19 has slowed us down.  But we will never stop and we are absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow.  

"Even though we have to Race for Life differently this spring, nothing is going to stop us running, walking or jogging 5K to raise money to help beat cancer.

"That's why we need as many people as possible across Herefordshire and Worcestershire to sign up to Race for Life at Home this April, to stand united and do something extraordinary to help beat cancer."