A woman from West London says her life was saved after losing weight, because with a slimmer body, it meant she found a cancerous lump in her breast.
Jo Atkins, 50, from Hanworth lost a significant amount of weight in 2016 after battling the scales for a number of years.
The inspiration to lose weight came after her husband had a serious stroke which left him disabled.
Jo took the step to join a Slimming World group to become fitter and healthier, so she’d be able to care for her husband more easily.
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After losing more than four stone in weight, Jo noticed a lump in her right breast.
Jo has now recovered from cancer and said her weight loss allowed her to discover a lump
“One night I was laying in bed watching the telly. My arm came across my chest and I thought, ‘What’s that?’
“Eventually I plucked up the courage to go to the doctors and went for the mammograms and the scans and the biopsies – it was cancer.
“I’m 100 per cent sure that I would never have found that lump if I hadn’t lost the weight.”
Within a couple weeks of discovering the lump, Jo was in hospital having it removed. She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but the side effects meant the weight quickly piled back on.
Jo has now been given the all clear and has recovered from cancer and she was able to re-join Slimming World once her treatment was over.
Jo said Slimming World changed her ‘forever’ and can’t wait to help others
“I re-joined Slimming World and that’s where I am today. I ended up losing six stone and I feel amazing,” Jo said.
“It’s quite overwhelming – sometimes I think I might not be here if I hadn’t found that lump.”
For Jo, losing weight quite literally saved her life and she is now fitter, healthier and happier. She credits Slimming World as her saving grace in helping her achieve her goal.
Jo has recently become a Slimming World consultant and will be running her own group in Hanworth launching on Thursday, October 7.
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“I’d tried all sorts of diets, but Slimming World changes the way you think,” Jo explained.
“Slimming World has made me active – I got a bee in my bonnet and decided to join a gym. Now I run four times a week between 10k and 15k.
“I am really excited to be a consultant for the first time – I just want to help other people, having been through what I’ve been through.
“The cancer and Slimming World changed me forever.”
More details on how to join Slimming World can be found here , and for more details about the Hanworth group you can email [email protected]
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