Emma Hall said she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong
10:12, 07 Sep 2025Updated 10:31, 07 Sep 2025
Emma Hall with husband Rich in their early years together(Image: Emma Hall/SWNS)
A mum’s life was saved when her cancer was discovered following a freak accident while doing the laundry. Emma Hall, 42, injured herself when she bumped into a door frame while carrying a basket of washing.
The mum of two from Gomersal, West Yorkshire, has told how she was left with a lump and tenderness on her breast but thought nothing of it. It was only when a few days later the tenderness had gone and the lump still remained that she began to worry, revealing she “struggled to shake the feeling that something was wrong”.
After visiting the GP and countless tests and examinations, doctors revealed she had breast cancer. Following surgery, doctors were able to remove a large proportion of her cancer and rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy also further reduced its size.
Doctors can’t give Emma the all-clear, but they have told her the hormone therapy treatment she receives will help prevent it from growing. She has since been fundraising and raising awareness through Cancer Research UK’s Shine Night Walks alongside 60 friends and family members.
Emma said: “My life was turned upside down and I didn’t know what was going to be around the corner. I’d never had so many injections or taken my top off in front of so many strangers. The doctors can’t guarantee that my cancer has all gone, but the treatment I continue to have will work to prevent any growth.”
Reflecting on the accident that started the journey, Emma said: “Days after the bump, the lump hadn’t gone. I started to find other reasons for it and didn’t think I should be concerned, as I was only 39 at the time. But in the end I couldn’t shake the feeling there might be something wrong and booked to see my GP.”
Emma Hall with husband Rich during her treatment(Image: Emma Hall/SWNS)
During the appointment, which was on Valentine’s Day, Emma told the doctor didn’t have any family history of breast cancer. But the GP was concerned enough by the lump and changes to the nipple on her other breast that she referred her to the breast clinic.
Emma said: “The consultant took me seriously straight away and as the appointment went on, the reality of what the diagnosis could be hit me. I had an ultrasound, mammogram, multiple biopsies and another ultrasound.”
Emma said that, as the tests went on, the consultant was convinced it could be breast cancer, but they would have to wait for the results to confirm anything. For Emma, what should have been a special day for her to spend with her partner, Richard, she was left accepting she may have cancer.
She said: “The appointment sadly fell on Valentine’s Day so, I spent the day being prodded and poked. My husband Rich and I have been together since we were 17 years old. We met at school and he proposed to me on Valentine’s Day, so it’s always been a special day for us.”
Two weeks later Emma received the news that she was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer. Invasive lobular breast cancer is the second most common cancer that starts in the lobules – the glands that make milk when breastfeeding – according to Cancer Research UK.
Then, in April, Emma underwent a gruelling nine-hour surgery at Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield. There, she had a single mastectomy and immediate reconstruction of her breast using tissue from her thigh, known as TUG flap reconstruction. Unfortunately it revealed the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes, so she would require further surgery and more treatment.
Emma, who runs the Instagram page emma_breast.cancer.and.me, said: “All margins showed positive traces of cancer, so I had all my lymph nodes removed in a second surgery and the reconstruction had to be removed. It felt like such a step backwards and that the cancer I had initially thought would be easy to tackle suddenly got a lot scarier.”
Emma Hall with husband Rich in hospital(Image: Emma Hall/SWNS)
She then underwent which she had at the Bexley Wing at St James’ Hospital, in Leeds, which included chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy, and then targeted drug therapy. While undergoing treatment Emma celebrated her 40th birthday and her daughter’s GCSE results, which should have included a family trip to Disney World.
She said: “It was supposed to be a big celebration year and we had planned a dream holiday to Disney World, but it all had to be cancelled. Instead we were juggling hospital appointments.”
Now, three years on, Emma continues to receive hormone therapy treatment, which doctors say will help prevent any further growth. She has also renamed Valentine’s Day with her husband as Live Life Day.
Since then, the mum has been raising awareness by taking part in Cancer Research UK’s Shine Night Walks alongside 60 friends and family members. Shine Night Walks involve walking 10km holding glow sticks through the heart of Leeds with the aim of raising awareness for the disease. The next walk will be held on Saturday, October 4.
Emma said: “Taking part in an event like Shine is a great way to support research that will help drive more life-saving discoveries and breakthroughs.”
You can donate to Emma’s fundraiser online.