Asda South Ruislip customer Joanna stars in this year's Tickled Pink campaign

Mother-of-three Joanna Orford has stage 3 breast cancer and says her diagnosis has brought her even closer to her family who have been a huge support.

Her diagnosis came as a complete surprise after going to the GP to check out a subtle texture change in her breast.

"Because it didn't feel like a lump, I didn't immediately think it was cancer, I just thought, "Oh, that doesn't feel right." I left it a couple of weeks, and then it escalated.

"I think you go through life being aware of things that can impact health-wise. And for me I'm a very empathetic person and I try and support a lot of people. But when I went for my second appointment, for the results from the biopsy, I thought, "What if it's my turn?" And it was my turn."

Joanna initially kept her diagnosis a secret from most of her family, friends and colleagues and didn't tell her three daughters until the date of her operation was approaching.

"Georgette, my middle daughter, was doing a Master's which had cost her a lot of money, there was a lot at stake. Clementine, my youngest, was doing her degree so, you know, it wasn't good timing.

"It's very easy to share good news. And it wasn't necessarily that it was bad news, but it's impactful news, because everyone has certain associations with breast cancer, especially at my age. So, it puts everyone on an unsteady footing with life."

Joanna was booked in for a lumpectomy in August 2025 and was planning to have radiotherapy afterwards, but her plans changed after surgery.

"I had a lumpectomy and four lymph nodes removed. And then when I went back in for my next appointment, the consultant said, "You know, we're really surprised, but there's cancer in the four lymph nodes." So he wasn't expecting that. So then I had another sixteen taken out in another surgery and 14 of those had cancer in them."

Joanna then had six cycles of chemotherapy and 15 sessions of radiotherapy.

"My close friends, my daughters and my husband have been a big part of my cancer journey. My workplace has been supportive too. been part of my cancer journey, and my husband too. They've all been very supportive. Isabella has been particularly supportive, especially with the knowledge and the input she's been able to receive from Breast Cancer Now and the guidance and support mechanisms they have in place."

By coincidence, Joanna's eldest daughter Izzy works for Breast Cancer Now and had been at the charity just a few months before her mum's diagnosis.

Izzy, who used to work in sales, said she would not have been able to support her mum in the same way before joining Breast Cancer Now. She had the flexibility to be able to take her mum to hospital appointments and fit caring for her mum around her work commitments.

"It was pure coincidence. That's when I started thinking the universe put me here for a reason because working in the job and the industry that I was in beforehand, there's no way I would have been able to have helped a fraction of the way that I've been able to working for Breast Cancer Now."

Joanna agrees: "I'm thankful for Breast Cancer Now that they're true to their word. They're not just a face of a charity; they're actually supporting their staff when they are having to deal with it."

Her mum's diagnosis has had a direct impact on Izzy’s work too: "I can talk with so much more passion and knowledge about it. I'm able to communicate to male-dominated spaces about why breast cancer is something that they need to be aware of.”

Izzy was able to help her dad talk about the things her mum was going through as Joanna's treatment progressed.

"When Mum received the diagnosis, I remember speaking to Dad about feelings and intimacy and how the drugs are going to impact Mum and the way that her body's going to be working and what to expect, how to support Mum through this.

"I felt like I was kind of coaching Dad throughout the experience because men tend to not be that comfortable talking about their feelings. So for me it was creating a space and asking the questions and not taking, "How are you doing?" "Yeah, I'm alright" as the answer because I knew he wasn't okay. He was very good with being practical and helping out with lifts and stuff, but I think what Mum needed the most from Dad was the emotional connection and care and sensitivity.

"What I would love to raise more awareness on is people checking in on those who are going through a diagnosis, because it's still very much affecting them. So just simply by asking, "How's your Mum?" or "How are you?" Even to this day, Mum's still impacted through the medication that she's on post-treatment, but if someone asks me "How's your Mum doing?" the first thing I do is say "Thank you so much for asking" because it means so much. It means so much because we're still navigating it. It's two years on, we're still going through it."

Before Joanna left work for her treatment she texted colleagues and included information about how to check their breasts, using Breast Cancer Now's "Touch Look Check" campaign.

"People were very thankful for that," she said. "Strangely enough, two of the nurses I worked with had never examined their breasts. They are both African and Christian. The reason I mention that is I thought it was partially cultural or religious outlook not to do the checks. I explained that it was not a sexual thing which seemed to make them more open to it.”

Joanna regularly shops at Asda South Ruislip and is looking forward to seeing the photos from the Tickled Pink photoshoot up in store during October.

She's very grateful for Asda's Tickled Pink campaign and everyone who's been involved in fundraising over 30 years:

"I'd like to say a huge thank you! Asda Tickled Pink because its financial input makes a real difference so that Breast Cancer Now can have things in place to support everybody. Whether they're someone going through a cancer treatment, thinking they might have cancer, or if they're a family member of someone with cancer.

"Ultimately pounds and pence go a long way, and in the current climate it's very, very difficult to relinquish those extra pennies or pounds. But they make all the difference to me, to the people I've come across, to the people I've spoken to. It's a high street presence that is rubber-stamping how important it is and that things have to change, and we all have to pull together to make that change."

• For 30 years Asda Tickled Pink has supported breast cancer awareness to make checking your boobs, pecs or chests as easy as your Asda shop. To date, over £100 million in funds have been raised for world-class research, vital education and life-changing support - delivered by Asda charity partners Breast Cancer Now and CoppaFeel!.