A BRAVE East Renfrewshire mum has spoken of her battle with cancer, in a bid to convince others not to ignore warning signs of the disease.

Claire O’Neill was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2015, after attending her first routine mammogram.

She underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumour and five weeks of radiotherapy, taking time to fully recover before returning to work in June 2016.

Now Claire has joined her husband Martin to back the Detect Cancer Early campaign, which encourages people to act if they have a potential symptom or are invited for screening.

They are keen to highlight that more people are surviving cancer in Scotland than ever before – and that getting checked early plays a big part.

Claire, 55, from Newton Mearns, said: “I think, especially with mammograms, people worry that it’s painful. Yes, it might be a bit uncomfortable but it could be lifesaving.

“It’s also so important that people who are worried about unusual symptoms get them checked out.

“Thanks to early detection, I’m around for things like our family holidays to Ireland, which we love.”

Martin, 60, added: “I was with Claire when she went for her mammogram and I remember thinking it was just a routine check-up and everything would be fine.

“The worry started to set in while waiting for the results and, after being told she had cancer, there was a degree of numbness. It was difficult to accept that it was real.

“I was by her side at every stage of the treatment and did everything I could to ease the pressure and offer support, to keep things normal for our boys Michael and Dominic, who has cerebral palsy.

“We’ve always worked through things as a unit but we definitely became stronger because we united and beat Claire’s cancer as a family."

For more information about the campaign, visit HERE.

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