Amanda's Story

Hi there! My name is Amanda Nobel. I’m 46 years old, married, I have two daughters and I am a goldsmith living in The Netherlands. This is the story of my breast cancer journey and how Know Your Lemons helped me to discover something was wrong.

How it all started...

After feeling extremely tired for a very long time and not getting any solutions for that from my doctor, I went to an Emmett-therapist for help with my fatigue. And it worked! I finally started to feel better. In the meantime, one of my friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was so shocked! During her treatment she posted the image of Know Your Lemons on Facebook. I remember watching it very carefully, being surprised that there were 11 other symptoms I never knew anything about and I shared her post.

The summer of 2017 was great. I felt good living “La Dolce Vita” in Italy for a couple of weeks. Enjoying the sun, the beautiful country, and Italian wine. I really felt fantastic, compared to the 2 years of fatigue before. Yes, I did see a slight change in my breast, but I figured that was the gravity of time starting to catch up. After all, I was 44 at the time, so I thought it was normal that things were changing. I did always have some sort of a hard spot in my right breast, but that had been there for as long as I could remember.

On August 27, 2017 we had a nice BBQ in our backyard. The weather was hot and I felt the right side of my body glowing all the time. Especially my breast. I didn’t pay much attention to it after all the weather was very hot until I took a shower and discovered a dimple! There also was a vein popping out that hadn’t been there before. At that point, I remembered the 12 symptoms of the Know Your Lemons image and I knew straight away I had breast cancer. No doubt about it.

Amanda Nobel during treatment

As I went to see my doctor the next day she examined my breast and told me she didn’t see anything that really concerned her, but because of my fears, I was allowed to go for a mammogram. I found this unbelievable, to me, it was crystal clear that this was really NOT ok!

Two days after I was at the hospital. The cancer surgeon didn’t beat around the bush, he had his concerns. I had entered the well-known rollercoaster. I went for a mammogram, was sent for an ultrasound scan straight away and before I knew it, there was a needle in my breast taking a biopsy.

The conclusion: Lobular Breast Cancer, which is a less common type and harder to detect. Needless to say, it was like the floor fell from underneath when I got the confirmation of my fears.

Amanda Nobel during treatment

Long story short: In the following 2 years (as me and my family were riding the rollercoaster) I had an MRI, a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy, a mastectomy with partly reconstruction through a tissue expander, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, 10 years of hormone therapy, a deep flap reconstruction and a mammal reduction of my other breast.

I really believe that because of my friends‘ Facebook post I discovered my breast cancer on time. And I think the Know Your Lemons campaign should also reach doctor’s practices. In fact, I believe it’s necessary for every woman, girl or doctor to at least study the image once. This is the clearest picture I have ever seen of breast cancer signs and once you’ve seen it, you’ll remember it. Too many women still think only a lump means breast cancer. That really needs to change!

And now at the end of the Rollercoaster and with my feet back on the ground, I feel great enjoying life thanks to my friend and to the organization of Know Your Lemons! I’ve never stopped going to the gym for my weekly doses of yoga and power training and I’m still doing this with a lot of pleasure. Next year I’m hoping to start goldsmithing again. As for my family, I can say we’re all slowly gaining more confidence in life and to celebrate that we will be welcoming a new family member next year: a labrador puppy! New life, new beginning.

And now it remains for me to tell everyone to take good care of themselves and above all: do make sure you Know Your Lemons!

With love,

Amanda Nobel