A CLUB singer battling breast cancer has stepped up her campaign to lower the age for women to have regular breast screening.
Patricia Greensmith was diagnosed with the disease after discovering a lump in her left breast while on holiday in 2007.
While undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy, Mrs Greensmith, from Willington, County Durham, formed the Chyrelle Addams Breast Cancer Appeal.
The 49-year-old sings at clubs around the North-East under the stage name of Chyrelle Addams, and since forming the charity has raised more than £70,000 to buy hospital equipment to be used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Now Mrs Greensmith is collecting signatures calling for the age of regular breast screening to be reduced from 50 to 35, a campaign that has already gained the support of North West Durham MP Pat Glass. Ms Glass said one in five cases of breast cancer involve younger women.
Mrs Greensmith said the earlier the disease is caught the better the chances are of survival.
The NHS said earlier mammograms were difficult because of changes in breast tissue and that younger women were less likely to contract the disease.
Mrs Greensmith was diagnosed when she was 45 but said doctors told her the tumour had been growing for at least a year.
She said: “If I was eligible for a mammogram, I may have caught it sooner.
“I am lucky to be alive and that is why I want to push the issue.
“It may cost a lot of money to do it, but you cannot put a price on people’s lives.”
Mrs Greensmith collected signatures at the Garlands on the Green event in Willington at the weekend and is urging others to support her campaign.
She is transforming a former tattoo studio into a cancer support centre in Willington High Street and has appealed for a stonemason to make a step for the front door.
Petitions can be signed at Willington Community Action Centre, in High Street, and at the centre, in Front Street, when it opens in a month’s time.
To support the campaign, call Mrs Greensmith on 01388-746835.
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