Ex-Dragons' Den star Kelly Hoppen shares breast cancer diagnosis
Former Dragons' Den star Kelly Hoppen has opened up on her breast cancer diagnosis, admitting she had pushed back a mammogram for eight years.
The interior designer was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive cancer which is found in the ducts of the breast but hasn't spread to the surrounding breast tissue yet.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Hoppen explained she didn't go to her mammogram appointment for years before her executive assistant and personal assistant encouraged her to do so last September.
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"It was a foolish thing to do, which is why I am writing this now: it's a cautionary tale, a warning to others, not to be too frightened, too harried by the demands of work to go to your appointments," she said.
Hoppen recalled her anxiety when she had to have multiple biopsies, saying at one point that she "couldn't sleep or think or eat".
She added: "But I continued to work, to keep busy, to exercise, and when I went back into hospital for the results – John, as always, by my side – my heart fell when they told me I had DCIS. I had no idea what it meant, but I feared the worst.
"[My doctor] explained that I'd been very fortunate indeed: DCIS is the very mildest form of cancer."
The doctors found cancer in two milk ducts, explained Hoppen. She promptly underwent an "awful" procedure to remove the cancer cells.
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"I was hugely fortunate. Although I'd neglected my check-ups, I was lucky that my cancer was detected early," she said.
"Had it not been, I might have faced a less happy outcome. Actually, I might not be here writing this cautionary tale now."
Hoppen is aware she's at higher risk of developing cancer again in the future. She has vowed she won't miss any more check-ups, urging others to do the same and not sleep on their medical appointments.
"I have my next one booked for September and you can be assured that I'll be there," she said.
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