PhD student, 35, diagnosed with breast cancer after spotting sign applying sunscreen
Charlotte Nash-Pye found a lump in her right breast just weeks before her wedding
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Two siblings in their 30s are trying to help people with cancer through their podcast ‘The Cancer Twins’, after the sister was told about her diagnosis the day after coming home from her honeymoon years on from when her brother first faced the disease as a teenager.
Doctors are baffled as to why Charlotte Nash-Pye, 35, a PhD student from Epsom in Surrey, and her brother Greg Nash, a 32-year-old account manager at a technology firm, have both been diagnosed with cancer so young – with the pair being told it is “a complete mystery” and genetic tests providing no further answers.
Greg needed intensive chemotherapy for Ewing Sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects bones or the tissue around bones, after being diagnosed at just 14.
Then Charlotte found a lump in her right breast on June 23 2022, just a few weeks before she was due to marry Jack Pye, 32, co-owner of a chartered properties surveying firm.
Charlotte found her breast lump when applying suncream at her cousin’s wedding in Cyprus.
She explained: “I was applying lotion, I wasn’t directly doing a breast check, and I felt a lump.”
She added: “I wasn’t sure, so I checked the other side, and it didn’t feel the same on both sides.
“That’s when I asked my mum for her opinion, and she had a jab at it, and I felt a sharp pain, and I thought ‘that’s not normal.’
“I then became quite conscious of it. I’d slightly twinge from time to time and I suddenly became hyper-aware of it.”
Charlotte’s worried mum, Kim, 64, suggested she go to her GP to check it, saying: “One of the reasons that we wanted to was because of my experience with my brother.”
Charlotte’s brother Greg had a rare form of cancer called Ewing Sarcoma, diagnosed when the siblings were growing up in Surrey in remission.
Greg said: “I noticed a lump appeared after swimming and after a week it grew quite big.”
It was a massive shock because they hadn't even diagnosed it
He added: “The doctor diagnosed it as a cist to begin with and they removed it under general anesthetic.
“It was only after I’d had a post-op that they found out it was malignant.
“It was a massive shock because they hadn’t even diagnosed it.”
He added: “They [the doctors] were just like, ‘It’s so big so we’re going to remove it’ and we thought that was it done with.
“But it was just the start. That put everyone into shock, especially at my age.
“Luckily it was bone marrow tissue that wasn’t broken off in the bone, so they got it out and it was encapsulated in a membrane.”
The doctor’s reaction very much changed when she was doing the ultrasound
He added: “I always try to be there for Charlotte, having gone through this journey myself, and weirdly, it feels like I’m reliving it through her in a way.”
Charlotte said: “Because my parents worked full time, I was often the one who would take him to an appointment, especially after the initial diagnosis when it became more ongoing with regular check-ups.”
Charlotte learned how to drive just three months after her 17th birthday so she could be even more available for her brother.
Charlotte was aware that she needed to get her own breast lump checked out as quickly as possible when she got home from her cousin’s wedding on July 19 2022, and went to her GP.
She said: “I was extremely busy because my cousin’s wedding in Cyprus was only six weeks before my own wedding in the UK.
“I realised that it was very important to get my breast checked within a week of getting home from holiday.”
My brother’s experience definitely prepared me for the idea that you’re never too young to get cancer and it’s not always a genetic thing
She added: “Thankfully, my doctor was very good, very professional and said, ‘I cannot be sure that this is nothing to worry about. So, I am going to recommend you to The Marsden’.”
After being referred to the Royal Marsden, a specialist cancer hospital in Sutton, for an ultrasound, an abnormality came to light.
She explained: “The doctor’s reaction very much changed when she was doing the ultrasound.
I am quite a pragmatic person, so I have the point of view that there’s no point worrying until we know what we’re dealing with
Charlotte and her brother have had genetic testing and have been negative on all points related to breast cancer.
“There was clearly something that didn’t look right because she was very quiet”, said Charlotte.
“She then told me I needed to stay for a biopsy because it looks irregular.”
She added: “I am quite a pragmatic person, so I have the point of view that there’s no point worrying until we know what we’re dealing with.
“I needed to focus on getting things done next week for the wedding and I had quite a few deadlines for my PhD immediately after.”
Just a few weeks later, on August 1, she had a biopsy, just five days before her wedding day.
It does seem to be a complete freak occurrence that both Greg and I at a very young age have had two forms of cancer
She said: “I started to try and come to terms with the idea that it might be something of major concern. But, again, not let myself go down that rabbit hole.
“I tried not to let my imagination run wild at that point.”
Marrying Jack at Hampton Court Palace in front of 50 guests, Charlotte put her breast lump to the back of her mind.
She explained: “I didn’t allow it to ruin anything at all because there was no point and we’d already waited two years for the day because of Covid, and we’ve been together for 10 years.
“My mum was fine to be honest because we tried not to talk about it after the biopsy.
“I did tell my best friend, my maid of honour, the night before and she was quite emotional.”
The day after returning from her week-long honeymoon in Gloucestershire, not wanting to go abroad because of having rescue dogs, on August 15, Charlotte had her diagnosis.
Her full diagnosis was a stage one, grade two invasive ductal carcinoma with no evidence of abnormality in the lymph glands.
She explained: “The tumour was oestrogen and progesterone receptor positive but HER2 negative, which is why it thankfully can be treated with hormone treatment as well as radiotherapy.”
What I went through with my brother made me deal with it in a more productive way
She added: “This is very good news from a cancer point of view, but it does have negative implications on fertility.
“My brother’s experience definitely prepared me for the idea that you’re never too young to get cancer and it’s not always a genetic thing.”
She said: “It does seem to be a complete freak occurrence that both Greg and I at a very young age have had two forms of cancer.”
In the same week as her diagnosis, Charlotte began to freeze embryos and was referred for an MRI scan and mammogram.
She said: “My reaction was ‘okay, what do we do now?’ and they [the doctors] were surprised by how well I took the news.”
I am lucky that cancer treatment has developed so much that I can be treated and this diagnosis doesn’t need to ruin my life
She added: “What I went through with my brother made me deal with it in a more productive way.”
On September 2, two days after her diagnosis, she began IVF harvesting as her diagnosis was treatable with hormones and could help extend her life, but she would not be able to get pregnant.
She said: “Our initial round of IVF wasn’t as successful as we had hoped.”
She added: “Normally, they would start you at the most optimum part of your cycle, but because they needed to get the IVF stuff done before the surgery, the surgeons and I were very keen on going forward with it.”
Just three weeks after the first round of IVF, Charlotte had the tumour removed.
She said: “This may now affect my chances of starting a family but at least I do have a chance in the future with fertility preservation.”
When she first found out and opened up to me fully, she was distraught
She added: “I am lucky that cancer treatment has developed so much that I can be treated and this diagnosis doesn’t need to ruin my life.”
Greg said: “When she first found out and opened up to me fully, she was distraught. She was in tears initially but she bounces back very well.
“But, afterwards, she’s always been very strong and I think perspective is important, which Charlotte has.”
Charlotte is continuing her IVF journey and is working with her brother Greg on a podcast called ‘The Cancer Twins’ about what it’s like to go through cancer at such a young age. The pair invite guests to talk about their cancer journey to help others.
Across October, which marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Charlotte and Greg have been walking 100 miles to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
Charlotte is supporting Stand Up To Cancer, a joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 bringing the UK together to accelerate life-saving cancer research.