'Docs dismissed by symptoms as milk cyst - but I just knew something was wrong'

'Docs dismissed by symptoms as milk cyst - but I just knew something was wrong' Natasha Brownbill was just the second case that the doctor had ever seen A mum has told how a breast lump that was repeatedly put down to breastfeeding turned out to be a symptom of a rare and deadly illness. Natasha Brownbill, 33, from St Helens, found a small, hard lump in her left breast while showering on June 18, 2025. She was on maternity leave at the time, breastfeeding her six-month-old son, and says that context shaped early assessments of what was wrong. Natasha, a family and divorce solicitor, said: "I was breastfeeding my six-month-old son, so everyone thought it would just be changes from breastfeeding. "I felt tired and in pain - and everyone was telling me I was fine - and after all of that it turned out to be such a rare type of cancer that has such a high chance of returning." The day after she discovered the lump, Natasha went to her GP and was referred to the Burney Breast Unit on the NHS two-week wait pathway. She says the initial view was that it was likely a milk cyst. While waiting to be seen by the NHS, she paid about £800 for a private appointment at Circle Health Group on June 25, where she says she was reassured there was no cancer. She said: "I actually questioned whether I even needed to go to my NHS appointment because I'd been reassured after having the private scan." Natasha attended the NHS clinic on July 3 and says she was again told the lump looked like a benign milk cyst. She says the plan was to keep an eye on it until she had finished breastfeeding. But as the lump had become larger and more painful, she asked for it to be drained before she left. The aspiration produced blood-stained fluid rather than milk, she says, and although staff still felt cancer was unlikely, the sample was sent for laboratory testing. Natasha said the lump refilled completely within 12 hours. Further aspirations followed, along with an MRI scan and three core biopsies before she was told it was an incredibly rare type of cancer. On August 1, Natasha said she went to her GP surgery with her young son, where she was given the diagnosis. Natasha, who originally shared her story with Talk to the Press, said: "He said, 'I'm so sorry, but the results say it's malignant.' "My whole world just collapsed. I was sitting there with my two children, and suddenly I was being told I had cancer." She said hospital specialists later confirmed she had stage 2, grade 3 metaplastic triple-negative breast cancer — a particularly rare subtype. Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for around 10-15% of breast cancers, while metaplastic cases represent less than 1%. Natasha said: "My NHS doctor said the confusion came from how rare it was. In her 15 years of working as a specialised cancer nurse she had only seen two cases of my type of cancer - including myself." Natasha said she stopped breastfeeding almost overnight and began chemotherapy on August 13, 2025. After six months of treatment, she had surgery on both breasts in February 2026 and then completed 15 rounds of radiotherapy in April. She continues to receive immunotherapy every six weeks. She has spoken about the impact of treatment, including losing her hair despite cold capping, developing sepsis, having a PICC line fitted, undergoing genetic testing and accessing counselling, while also trying to care for her children. She said: "I still had to be a mum. I had a baby and a four-year-old. Even though I was so ill, life carried on. My husband was incredible, but it broke my heart not being able to look after my children like I always had." Following surgery, Natasha said tests showed a pathological complete response, meaning no active cancer was found. She is now fundraising for Breast Cancer Now and the Chris Aked Foundation, and wants others to feel confident pressing for help if something doesn’t feel right. She said: "If I'd accepted the reassurance or hadn't trusted my instincts enough to ask them to drain the lump, I genuinely don't know where I'd be today. "I want people, especially young women, to know that they deserve to be listened to. Just because you don't fit the typical profile doesn't mean cancer isn't possible." Circle Health Group was contacted for comment.