Grandmother Nina Martin was diagnosed with breast cancer twice in a year — but insists she’s “one of the lucky ones”.

The 55-year-old florist from Upminster has finished radiotherapy and is taking part in Breast Cancer Now charity’s Pink Ribbon walk at Hampton Court Palace in April with 13 friends.

She is sharing her experience to encourage even more people to sign up to fund research with a mission that everyone diagnosed with breast cancer by 2050 will live and live well. 

“I could quite easily have ignored and dismissed it when I first felt a tiny new bump in my chest back in 2022,” Nina explained. “But I decided after a few weeks of it not disappearing to get it checked out.

“A biopsy found it was breast cancer. Everyone was shocked and upset.

“But the cancer was caught very early at stage one and the lump was removed followed by radiotherapy.”

However Nina had to undergo more radiotherapy when her yearly mammogram discovered breast cancer again, but it was also at stage one and the lump was removed by the treatment. 

“I count myself as one of the lucky ones,” said Nina. “Both my breast cancers were found in the early stages. 

“Early detection can save life — you can’t ignore any changes you may feel, no matter how small and insignificant you think they are. Just get it checked out.”

Nina is determined to “give something back” and raise awareness and funds to move hopefully to a cancer-free life.

The Pink Ribbon annual walks in three locations from April to June have raised £15 million for research since 2005 when they began.

This year’s events are at Hampton Court Palace on April 28, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire on May 11 and Bakewell Showground in Derbyshire on June 22.

Some 55,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK, the charity points out. An estimated 600,000 are living with the diagnosis, which is predicted to rise to 1.2 million by 2030.

Wellwishers or anyone wanting to take part in a Pink Ribbon walk can register at breastcancernow.org/prw