Shanice Bennett says she was initially ‘passed off’ by her GP, and was later told ‘nothing would come’ of her concerns
A 26-year-old, who was told she was too young to have breast cancer, says she feels like she is on borrowed time following her terminal diagnosis. Shanice Bennett, from Sittingbourne, was just 23 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, and after being told she was in remission, the cancer has now spread to her bones, lungs and liver.
She is now on a mission to complete a bucket list before time runs out and has been sharing her progress with her 22k followers on TikTok. Shanice was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in May 2023, after she had found a lump.
“I went to the GP and they passed me off, telling me I was too young,” she explained. “I left it and then ended up going back and pushing for it, because my auntie also had breast cancer. They said they would refer me, but nothing was going to come from it. And then, obviously, it did.”
Shanice went through both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as having a mastectomy and all her lymph nodes removed. By March last year, she had finished her treatment and was in remission.
Despite thinking she was in the clear, the youngster began experiencing back pain, but dismissed it as fatigue. She added: “A few months after it got to the point that it was so bad I couldn’t get out of bed or dress myself. I went to A&E and the same day I was diagnosed with stage 4, which is incurable.”
The cancer is now metastatic and has spread to her bones, lungs, and liver – leaving her with limited treatment options. She has been admitted to hospital due to having sepsis twice and is suffering from hypercalcemia, a condition where the body produces too much calcium, which can cause further problems.
“I was really shocked as I thought I’d just slipped a disc,” Shanice recalled. “I know a lot of people after they go through it are really worried that it’s going to come back.
“But I was certain. I’m young and I’ve done the treatment. It might come back in my 50s or something, and I’ll deal with it then. I made jokes with my mum in the room at the time. I really wasn’t expecting it.”
The 26-year-old hasn’t been given a timeline by doctors as she has been told each patient responds to the treatment differently. However, it was at this point that she decided to create a life bucket list – for her to try and tick off as much as she can.
So far, she has taken her seven-year-old nephew to Disneyland Paris and visited New York with her family. She was also able to watch her mum get married this year in Cyprus and joined her on the honeymoon. Shanice has also booked a trip to Rome.
The former police officer added: “I’m just trying to stay positive. I don’t really have many bad days. I just want to focus on using my time to be able to fill up as much as I possibly can.
“It’s a lot of travel aspirations and places that I want to go. I’ve got a couple of concerts that I’ve been able to book up; hopefully, I can make it to next year. But again, I’m trying not to make it too unrealistic. I’d be sad if I couldn’t get it done.”
Some of the other items on the list include a holiday to Switzerland, visiting Tokyo in Japan and watching singer Ariana Grande perform at the O2 arena in August. Shanice started documenting her journey on the social media platform TikTok where she has gained 22.3k followers.
One of her top bucket list ideas is to watch the upcoming Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping. It is set to be released on November 20 next year and Shanice is hoping to have a special screening ahead of time or an opportunity to visit the set.
Her video addressing film studio company Lionsgate has nearly reached 400,000 views, with Molly McCann, an actress starring in the blockbuster, commenting on the post. Shanice has set up a GoFundMe to raise funds to help her with her bucket list goals and create lasting memories with her family.
On the page, she said: “I am currently on my second line of treatment. Once this treatment stops working, there aren’t many good options left for me that will continue to allow me to live my best possible life. Every day I feel as though I’m living on borrowed time.”
If you would like to donate, please visit the gofundme here. Any remaining funds will go toward end-of-life costs and Macmillan Cancer Support. It follows a recent petition calling for the age of women’s mammograms to be lowered to 40 years old and to be performed annually.
At the moment, it is offered every three years to those between 50 and 70. So far, the petition has more than 15,000 signatures and could lead to a debate in parliament.
Chemotherapy nurse Gemma Reeves said: “We used to treat patients who were a lot older. Things change. Early detection makes a huge difference and when breast cancer is found sooner, treatments can be less aggressive. Outcomes are better. More people will get a chance to live full lives.”
