According to Cancer Research UK, more than one in three people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. It's a shocking statistic and for women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form, with around 41,000 women diagnosed every year just in Britain.

But there is some good news: Breast Cancer Care reports that nine out of 10 breast lumps are not cancerous, and statistics show that there is a continuing decline in breast cancer mortality figures. Whilst much of this is down to medical research it's also about women doing what they can to help themselves.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when charities and health organisations combine to promote the importance of being 'breast aware'. The mantra to remember is touch, look and check, as the vast majority of detected breast cancers are found in this way. This means making sure you check your breasts regularly, helping you to quickly detect any signs of change which could signal a problem. Signals may include changes to size or shape, texture, appearance or direction of nipple, discharge and rash or a lump or pain in the breast or armpit. Such awareness is vital in detecting breast cancer earlier, thus improving the chance of survival, as Jill, from Shropshire, can attest.

Jill first discovered she had breast cancer in 1993, at the age of 59. An inverted nipple had given her cause for only mild concern when a friend encouraged her to get it checked. A biopsy quickly followed and despite no family history of the disease, she learned she had breast cancer, and - just a week before her 60th birthday - Jill left hospital following a mastectomy. To limit chances of recurrence she took Tamoxifen for the advised five years following the op, and got on with her life.

Then, in 2002 she found a lump in her left breast. "I couldn't believe it was happening all over again," Jill remembers. "The first time round I had recovered well but whilst the second mastectomy served its purpose, the end result was a mess. I was offered corrective surgery but I couldn't face another operation; I just needed to get back to normal." These days Jill takes Exemestane to combat the disease returning.

But, in hindsight, would Jill have had a double mastectomy had she been offered it? "Definitely not," she says. "There was nothing to suggest that the cancer would return, and I felt more like me wearing a normal bra with just one breast rather than none. Now I only wear my prostheses when going out, it's far more comfortable to go without! I've got used to living like this now, and I'll keep taking the tablets. I've been luckier than many."

One lady who lost the fight was Carole Knaggs. Her inspiration - combined with a shared experience of breast cancer - motivated friends Sue Mac Master and Veronica Kennedy to set up Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer, a purely voluntary charity committed to raising enough money to provide a Centre of Excellence for breast cancer care within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. "Anybody in the region - be they from Solihull or Worcester - can access this facility to ensure they get the best treatment available," explains Sue.

Since 1998 the charity has raised enough funding to provide the hospital with x-ray and ultra-sound machines to assist with diagnosis, and equipment for chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery. The most recent purchase has been a mobile mammography trailer, costing £70,000. Next on their wish list is a tissue processing machine, costing £64,000, which will reduce the horrendous 'in-limbo' waiting time on initial biopsies from approximately 15 days to a week.

Pam Andrews is a semi-permanent make-up specialist who, as part of the fundraising drive for LFBC, is organising a Beauty & Wellbeing Show. Open to the general public, it will showcase a variety of therapies and products to try, from reiki to reflexology and skin ageing consultations. Pam's semi-permanent make-up techniques are particularly relevant to anyone going though cancer treatment, offering a solution for hair loss to the eyebrows and lashes and scar camouflage treatment. For those who have undergone breast surgery she can reconstruct the nipple and areola using state-of-the-art technologies.

Whilst breast cancer is most prevalent in post-menopausal women, it can affect others too. I had a breast lump removed at the age of 28 as a precaution, and another scare followed four years later during the early stages of pregnancy. Both episodes were taken very seriously and action was taken. Far less publicised is the occurrence of breast cancer in men, who account for one per cent of diagnosed cases.

Make sure you make October your Breast Cancer Awareness Month by joining in some of the fundraising activities to help fight this devastating disease.

Further information:

Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer:

to make a donation or to organise a local event call Sue Mac Master on 01562 884002.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer 08080 100 200

Breast Cancer Care 0808 800 6000

Beauty & Wellbeing Show,Saturday, October 15, 2-6pm, Holiday Inn Express, Wychbold.

Contact Pam Andrews on 07930 354840