Nermina Pieters-Mekic, a reality TV personality, has disclosed that she was pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Nermina, 33, who has been on the reality show Real Housewives of Cheshire since 2017, released an emotional statement in September.
‘I chose to see a GP who didn’t seem very worried,’ she claimed after discovering a lump in her breast.
The tumour, however, continued to grow.
It was her mum who asked her to have the lump investigated: ‘I’m so grateful that I [listened], because I got diagnosed with an early-stage aggressive breast cancer.’
Nermina, who already has a two-year-old daughter named Alaya, has stated that she was pregnant at the time of her diagnosis, which occurred in July.
(Picture: ITV/@nerminapietersmekic)
She told OK: ‘I was pregnant when I found out I had cancer, it broke my heart we couldn’t keep the baby – nobody should ever find themselves in that unthinkable position.’
‘One night, I couldn’t sleep. I sat in Alaya’s nursery. I looked at her height chart on the wall and thought, “What if I’m not here to witness this in a few years?”
‘What if I don’t see her grow up? They couldn’t do all the checks because I was pregnant so I kept thinking I’d never forgive myself for not seeing Alaya grow up.’
Following her diagnosis, she said on Instagram: ‘I never in my wildest dreams thought this would happen to me. I never get ill, I eat a good diet…’
How to check for signs of breast cancer
CoppaFeel! offers these simple steps on how to check your own chest for signs of cancer.
Look
- Look at your boobs, pecs or chest.
- Look at the area from your armpit, across and beneath your boobs, pecs or chest, and up to your collarbone.
Be aware of any changes in size, outline or shape and changes in skin such as puckering or dimpling.
Feel
- Feel each of your boobs, pecs or chest.
- Feel the area from your armpit, across and beneath your boobs, pecs or chest, and up to your collarbone.
Be aware of any changes in skin such as puckering or dimpling, or any lumps, bumps or skin thickening which are different from the opposite side.
Notice your nipples
- Look at each of your nipples.
Be aware of any nipple discharge that’s not milky, any bleeding from the nipple, any rash or crusting on or around your nipple area that doesn’t heal easily and any change in the position of your nipple
She continued: ‘But cancer doesn’t discriminate. One in seven women will get breast cancer in their lifetime, and a lot of those will be young women.’
Nermina is now dating Dutch footballer Erik Pieters, who plays for West Bromwich Albion in the Championship, England’s second division.
He’d previously spent six years with Stoke City in Staffordshire, which borders Cheshire; he departed the club in 2019, and Nermina left RHOC.
Nermina got multiple words of encouragement from Housewives co-star Lauren Simon at the time, including, ‘Sending my love, you can fight this.’
Helen Flanagan, who played Rosie Webster on Coronation Street, tweeted: ‘Sending you so much love!’
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
