A WOMAN told she had breast cancer months after becoming a mum for the second time says she is excited about spending Christmas with family

Rebecca Burns, 38, from Accrington, was told she had triple negative breast cancer in February this year.

At the time, her baby boy Jack was only five months old when she was diagnosed with the uncommon type of cancer.

After her diagnosis, she feared she might not be there for her children during the festive period.

However, following eight months of cancer treatment this year, she is now excited about celebrating Christmas with her partner Steve and children Jack and Emily.

And after her mum had breast cancer twice and auntie died from breast cancer aged 40, Rebecca discovered that a faulty version of BRCA1 gene mutation ran in her family when Emily was eight months old.

It was then that doctors asked her to think about whether she wanted any more children.

"If I didn’t I was advised I could get my ovaries removed to reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer, " she said.

But Rebecca and Steve decided they wanted to have another baby (Jack) to make their family complete.

She said: "I began having mammograms but then stopped when I became pregnant for the second time. I had Jack in September last year.

"Then last December - when Jack was about three months old - I was breastfeeding him and felt a small lump in my right breast but I thought it was a blocked milk duct so I just put it out of my head and didn’t think it was anything to worry about.

"But in February this year I was checking myself and I found it again and thought ‘it’s still there and it’s bigger this time."

Tests showed Rebecca had triple negative breast cancer which affects around 15 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Rebecca began treatment and had an operation to remove the tumour in her right breast in April, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy between May and September this year.

Rebecca finished her treatment in September just in time for Jack’s first birthday.

She now faces transformative surgery to rebuild her breast in the New Year as well as preventative surgery to remove her ovaries and left breast to reduce her chances of developing ovarian cancer or breast cancer again.

Rebecca and Steve are also backing Cancer Research UK's 'Right Now' campaign, which feature emotive TV advertisements of real patients undergoing cancer treatment one to two years ago.

This is then followed up by current home videos showing how research has helped them get back to enjoying life with their loved ones.

Rebecca added: "I started thinking about Christmas when I was poorly and I kept getting really emotional but it was also what kept me going when I was having my chemo.

"We’d always go to Steven’s mum and dads but this year they are coming here and I’m cooking us all a Christmas meal.

“We started the Christmas songs in November because it’s been a rough year and it is nice to celebrate. We are quite a positive family and we remained as positive as we could."