NEED TO KNOW
A 39-year-old woman was diagnosed with breast cancer after fighting, and failing, to get screened for the illness due to a family history of the disease
Chantelle Van Der Watt received her diagnosis in January 2025, and three months later, she was told it had spread to her bones and was given just five years to live
“I get cross because maybe if they did one screening at the age of 38, maybe we could’ve picked it up,” the mother of two said
A woman who fought to get screened for breast cancer due to her family history with the disease said she was denied multiple times due to her young age. She is now dying from an incurable variation of the illness.
Back in 2020, Chantelle Van Der Watt moved to the U.K. from South Africa, where she had undergone annual mammograms, Kennedy News & Media reported. At the time of the relocation, she was 34 years old, making her ineligible for the National Health Service’s (NHS) breast screening program.
“When I lived in South Africa, I would go every year for a mammogram, even though I was so young. When we came to the U.K., they only do screening from the age of 50, which I thought was a little bit ridiculous,” Van Der Watt, now 39, said.
“Both my grandmas had breast cancer, my grandfather had liver cancer, my other grandfather had prostate cancer [and died],” she further explained of her family’s history with the illness.
Still, Van Der Watt acted as her own advocate and pleaded her case. Doctors and a breast clinic at Milton Keynes University Hospital eventually agreed that they could start screenings for Van Der Watt at age 40.
Chantelle Van Der Watt.
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
Last January, Van Der Watt fell ill. “I was getting tired, drained, my body was sore, you think maybe you’ve come down with flu,” she recalled. “A week before my face-to-face appointment with my general practitioner, I found a lump in my breast near the nipple.”
During the doctor’s visit, Van Der Watt alleged, “They did a biopsy on it [and] a mammogram. [The doctors] kept telling me, ‘You’re still young, you won’t get it now.’ “
Chantelle Van Der Watt and her family.
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
A month later, however, Van Der Watt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, in April, she was told it had spread to her bones, and doctors gave her just five years to live.
“I get cross because maybe if they did one screening at the age of 38, maybe we could’ve picked it up,” she said.
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A spokesperson for the Milton Keynes University Hospital said in a statement, per Kennedy News & Media: “We are very sorry that Chantelle is facing a cancer diagnosis at such a young age, and our thoughts are with her and her family. We remain fully committed to providing Chantelle with the highest standards of care and support throughout her cancer journey.”
“The eligibility criteria for breast cancer screening programs, including the age at which screening is offered, are set nationally and are not determined by the Trust,” they continued. “When patients are referred to us because of clinical concerns, they are assessed and investigated through specialist breast services.”
Chantelle Van Der Watt (right) and her husband.
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
Added the spokesperson: “In Chantelle’s case, once concerns were raised and appropriate referrals made, investigations were undertaken and a diagnosis reached promptly.”
The NHS and the Milton Keynes University Hospital did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Chantelle Van Der Watt.
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
Looking back at her health experience, Van Der Watt said, “I turned 39, and two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer.”
“It’s been horrific. I think of my kids — Will I ever get to see them get married? They give you a time frame, and you think, ‘Will I get to see them go to prom?’ It’s all these little things,” she continued, referring to her children, ages 11 and 14.
Van Der Watt has set up a GoFundMe following her diagnosis. “My greatest wish is to leave my family with something secure—a place they can truly call home,” she wrote on the crowdsourcing page. “The funds raised will help us build a deposit towards purchasing a home, creating stability for my husband and children both now and in the future.”
“Knowing that they have a permanent place to live would bring me enormous peace of mind,” Van Der Watt continued, adding, “Asking for help does not come naturally to me, but cancer has taught me that we cannot always face life’s hardest challenges alone.”
She concluded, “My dream is simple: to know that when I’m no longer able to provide for my family, they will always have a place to call home.”
Read the original article on People