Myrtle’s nuzzles told me something was wrong

HELEN MASON, 38, who works in logistics, was diagnosed with breast c cancer in July 2011 after her horse, Myrtle, repeatedly nudged her on the chest. MY HORSE knew I had cancer before I did, there’s no doubt about it.

There is lots of evidence that horses have a good sense of smell — not quite as good as dogs, but not far behind — and it may be that she could smell the tumour. At the time of my diagnosis, I was feeling absolutely fine, but Myrtle had been repeatedly nuzzling up to my left side.

That in itself wasn’t strange, but Myrtle usually only nuzzled my right pocket, where I kept her treats. But for a few weeks or so, she nuzzled me whenever I saw her, nudging so hard that it hurt.

It was in August 2011 that I decided to go to the GP. As well as Myrtle’s nudges, I had some dimpling on the skin of my left breast and I thought I ought to get it checked out. Looking back, I think it w was Myrtle’s nudges that encouraged m me to go.

My doctor referred me to hospital, b but I wasn’t nervous about it at all.

I was only 34 at the time, and although I had lost my mum to cancer — she d died of a brain tumour at the age of 54 — I didn’t for one minute think I had cancer. But they sent me for a mammogram and then I had an ultrasound scan, followed by a needle aspiration, where they use a long needle to take some cells out for laboratory testing.

When they tell you that you have cancer, your world just falls apart. My first reaction was: ‘How will I tell my dad?’

Although we lost Mum back in 1997, our feelings are still raw and the idea that he would then have to deal with another cancer diagnosis was just too awful to take in.

During my treatment, Myrtle had to stay at a friend’s yard — but the thought of being able to see her and ride her made me get out of the house after each chemotherapy treatment and made me determined to keep strong.

I needed six rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour, which was 4cm in diameter, and then a lumpectomy, followed by radiotherapy.

Thankfully it seems to have worked. I now have a mammogram every year and will take the drug tamoxifen for ten years to prevent a recurrence.

During my treatment I made a promise to Myrtle. I would tell her: ‘We are going to grow old together’ — and it helped me believe that we would.