A mum from Croydon died of breast cancer after her dad was found to have a gene which increases the risk of developing the disease. Jeffrey Cushing was diagnosed with the condition after it was detected on scans her dad had for unrelated bowel polyps.
Tests revealed he carried the gene which heightens the risk of developing certain cancers, called BRCA2. Sadly, tests showed all of his daughters – Shelley Raymond, 46, Andrea Waterman, 51, and Jemma Cushing, 41 – not only carried the mutation, but had all already developed breast cancer.
Shelley and Andrea, who displayed no symptoms, underwent double mastectomies and hysterectomies. After surgery, they were declared cancer-free and are now on a five-year preventative course of tamoxifen, a medication that regulates estrogen.
However, Jemma’s tests revealed her breast cancer had already metastasised to her spinal cord and brain. The mother-of-five, who had previously dismissed lumps under her arms as swollen glands died on July 27.
Her heartbroken family members are now raising awareness of breast cancer in men and urging anyone to never dismiss a lump. Shelley, an NHS administrator, said: “My older sister Andrea and I had no symptoms – ours were quite deep in the boob.
“But my little sister Jemma – hers was quite advanced at that point. She’d noticed some lumps under the arm but she presumed they were glands and didn’t get it checked.”
She added: “Jemma’s greatest concern was not for herself, but for her children, who are now facing the unimaginable: a future without their mum. Don’t ignore a lump, don’t think it’s a gland, always check. You just never know going forward.”
Jeffery’s children were stunned when he was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. A screening for polyps on his bowel revealed they were benign – but that he had breast cancer.
The retired optician’s assistant, who died from a heart attack in 2022 aged 72, only spotted lumps after doctors highlighted them, and had them surgically removed via a lumpectomy in 2019.
Despite discovering he carried the BRCA2 gene, Shelley said the screening “didn’t feel urgent at the time”, but decided she ought to get examined in April 2021 – and after testing positive her sisters followed suit.
Thankfully, their brother, James Cushing, 39, tested negative. “We were fast tracked for our surgeries,” Shelley said.
“It was quite traumatic. I’ve had issues with the implants so I’ve had four surgeries since. The diagnosis was such a shock. It turns out a couple of my older sister’s kids have the gene and have to get surgery.”
Jemma was screened in autumn 2021 and discovered she had stage three cancer. She had multiple lumps in both her breasts, including a 10cm lump in the lymph nodes under her arm.
She had to undergo a double mastectomy, a hysterectomy, and nine months of intense chemotherapy, but in December 2023 it was discovered the cancer had spread to her spine. “Just after Christmas, she had a call from her oncologist on December 27 and they said something had shown up in the scan because she had pains in her back,” said Shelley.
“She had terminal cancer in the back. She underwent more chemo to lengthen her life, delaying the inevitable. They didn’t say how long we were looking at with her.
“The cancer travelled up her spine to her brain. My sister was very strong. She fought so hard, she was tough cookie.”
Jemma’s four eldest children – aged 24, 20, 17 and 14 – “understood what’s going on”, Shelly said, but her youngest, seven, “was a little bit unsure”.
“She kept saying her mum’s a bit like a zombie and obviously that’s really distressing for everybody,” Shelley said. She is now fundraising for Jemma’s children through a GoFundMe page.
