A 29-year-old battling breast cancer hopes a startling image of her following a mastectomy will highlight the treatments those with the disease have to endure.

Mum-of-two Kimberley Birkett went under the knife at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford on Thursday, March 14.

Afterwards, she posted the photograph showing her lying in her bed, bandaged and with tubes running from her wound on Facebook.

Article contains post surgery image

“You don’t often see things like that,” she said.

“Before I got diagnosed, I didn’t have a clue what a mastectomy was.

"I thought after chemo you’d be done, but there’s so much more to it.

“I don’t want mastectomies to be a hushed subject. It happens to so many people, no matter their age, and I want it to be known about.”

At the start of her treatment, Kimberley, who is from Herne Bay, was given the choice of either having a lumpectomy – which removes the tumour – or a mastectomy.

She chose the latter because doctors said it would lower the chances of the cancer returning.

Kimberley was released from hospital the day after the operation.

Despite feeling "swollen and a little bit sore", she says she is recovering well.

“A lot of people weren’t expecting to see me at the school run on Monday morning,” she added.

“Because I also had all my lymph nodes removed, I can’t really move my arm at the moment and it feels like it’s fizzing and popping. It’s quite strange.”

Kimberley was diagnosed with cancer in September after she discovered a lump in her left breast.

When she first told doctors about it, they thought, because of her age, it would be benign.

More than 80% of breast cancers occur in women over 50.

Fuelled by the fear of her children - Violet, two, and Reuben, four - seeing her lose her hair, she decided to shave her head in October before going bald through chemotherapy.

"I don't want mastectomies to be a hushed subject... it happens to so many people, no matter their age, and I want it to be known about" - Kimberley Birkett

The initiative raised almost £1,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

“My hair’s growing back now,” she said.

“To be honest, though, I do like being bald.”

Kimberley is set to undergo the first of 15 sessions of radiotherapy at the start of this month and will be given reduced doses of chemotherapy.

“I’m hoping that by the end of this the cancer will be in remission,” she said.

“I won’t know this for certain, though, until I go through scans.”

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