SUSAN Whalley's almost matter-of-fact diary entry marked the start of a journey into fear and the unknown; a journey we all dread we may one day have to make.

Susan had cancer.

Three days later she wrote: "A visit to the doctor's was not the best way of spending our 24th wedding anniversary. I had been reasonably strong till now but at this point I began to lose control . . . "

Seven years on, Susan sits in her sunny lounge in Hoddlesden, looks back at the dark days and says: "When I was given the news I just felt total devastation. It's everyone's worst fear. You think it happens to other people, not you."

But fear is cancer's greatest ally, she emphasised, and as chairman of the Darwen branch of Cancer Research UK -- of which she was a member for many years before her illness -- she is determined to bring all her renewed energies to bear to help beat that dread.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to raise the profile of the silent killer which claims thousands of women's lives each year in the UK. And organisers point out that quick detection is vital to improve a victim's survival chances.

Susan said: "I know I was lucky because my cancer was caught early."

Indeed, it was luck. Susan went with husband Gordon to have a check-up at Beardwood Hospital in Blackburn only after she had saw a "two-for-one" offer in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

"I was 47 and too young for NHS screening. I had no symptoms but they discovered a small lump which I hadn't found. After that, the waiting was the hardest. Every day seemed like a month until I knew exactly what was wrong."

Surgeons operated and diagnosed that the lump contained cancer cells at its core -- a bit like an aniseed ball with a black seed in the middle, they told Susan. Another operation -- but mercifully not a mastectomy -- followed and then came a gruelling course of radiotherapy which meant making 16 demanding trips to the Christie Hospital in south Manchester.

After the second operation Susan wrote in her diary: "Slept quite well during the night, apart from having a cup of tea at 2am. Managed with difficulty to wash and put on some clothes -- pleated skirt and loose T-shirt.

"The nurses were trying to give me painkillers, but I continued to refuse them. They had wanted to give me morphine during the night. I was sore and uncomfortable, but didn't want anything."

During the radiotherapy: "For the first week I suffered with a heavy cold and cough, which seemed to linger as I became more tired. My skin went gradually pinker."

Afterwards -- ironically when all the tough-to-take medical procedures were over -- came the depression.

"I suddenly felt black, vulnerable. But eventually I fought it the only way I know how -- being busy," the former special needs teacher recalled. "Every night when Gordon came home from work he couldn't be sure which room I'd decorated. The garden had been mostly grass, but I put in steps and flags. I've always had faith and that, and the support of people around me, also got me through."

Today, Susan keeps busy visiting schools and telling them about the work of Cancer Research UK. She emphasised: "It's not just research work; they organise a lot of care and advice."

She and husband Gordon have also decided to retire early.

"We always used to say: 'When we retire . . .' but after my illness we decided not to worry about tomorrow. It might never happen," Susan said.

And they've taken full advantage, with trips to the Caribbean and South Africa.

"But I'm thankful for every morning -- every time I see the sun rise," she added.

Susan has now completed her cancer diary. She wrote: "I knew it was something which would remain with me for the rest of my life. Something I knew I had to learn to cope with and to beat.

"There is still too much living to do."

CANCER FACTFILE

Cancer Research UK ploughs more than £10million of funds it has raised in the North West each year back into the region

It has a team of 3,000 dedicated researchers, doctors and nurses working out of Britain's leading universities and hospitals

It is the biggest charity in Europe and the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world

One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lives