BREAST cancer has become a bleak fact of life for one Huddersfield family.

Four sisters have lost their mum to the disease, two went on to develop breast cancer, another is on a special trial to prevent breast cancer and the fourth hopes to join the trial as soon as she can.

Having lost their mum Gladys Simpson to cancer 17 years ago, sisters Lynda Rugg, 63, and Avril Ford, 57, have both battled with the disease and had breasts removed.

A third sister, Sandra Smith, is trailing a new cancer prevention drug to avert the disease and the fourth, Pam Thornes, expects to go down the same route.

Avril, of Fenay Bridge, was the first of the sisters to develop breast cancer. She said: “It was really bizarre that the doctors found out I had breast cancer when they did.

“A special trial was available to all women who turned 40 which I did and it meant that those who volunteered had a mammogram every year for 10 years.

“I started the trial in 1993 and in 1994 mum died after an undiagnosed case of breast cancer.

“Then three years later, when I was 47, they discovered that I had cancer in one of my breasts.

“If I hadn’t been on the trial, I would never have discovered the cancer.

“I had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and in 2000 I had my breast removed.

“It was very strange, but a relief in the end as I thought now they have taken it away, I can’t get breast cancer.

“I couldn’t believe it when I found out Lynda developed cancer once I was clear. I wanted to be done with it, I wanted to have it for the rest of the women in the family.

“It made me so worried about my own daughters and all the other eight nieces as there was clearly some pattern after mum, me and then Lynda.

“I felt for my daughters, but we all put on brave faces and just got through it.

“We had to remain positive and Lynda and I worked hard to keep ourselves laughing despite the cancer.