Estée Lauder’s introduction of free company-wide mammograms for the over 40s may well have saved the life of its UK and Ireland president, Sue Fox.
Participating in the Women In Work Summit in London’s Kings Cross, in conversation with journalist, Mariella Frostrup, Fox told delegates that the company has been running its own breast cancer awareness campaign for the past 30 years.
While this campaign has involved encouraging women to self-check for breast cancer, Fox said that the key to her first discovering she had breast cancer a couple of years ago, was a free mammogram.
Free mammogram
“I did my self checking regularly and found absolutely nothing,” Fox explained.
“I had a standard mammogram. Women in our company aged over 40, are given a complimentary mammogram every single year.
“So I did that and the results weren’t great. I went to a breast cancer clinic, had an operation, and that was that.”
Cancer returns
But Fox added that she subsequently began to feel all was not well.
“Then in January of this year, I didn’t feel great,” Fox continued. “And I thought I was not sure that this hadn’t come back.
“So I took myself off for another mammogram and sure enough, the cancer was back.
“So I had another operation with the same surgeon. And then, this time we did radiation.
“And actually, the radiation to be honest, was the worst part. But I’ve been extremely fortunate in that it’s been caught both times very early.
“And I haven’t had any chemo. I haven’t had some of the hugely challenging effects of breast cancer. I haven’t had a mastectomy.
“So I’m super lucky that I’m sat here.”
Sailed through recovery
Fox said she felt she had “sailed through” her recovery with the support of her employer, colleagues, family and a charity very close to the conference venue.
“Future Dreams have a site very close to here in Kings Cross, where they provide fantastic holistic care for women who are going through breast cancer or who are recovering from it,” she added.