TWO courageous Greenock breast cancer survivors have been chosen as the stars of Scotland’s most inspiring fashion show.

Angela Owens, 49, and Susan Reaney, 53, have both bravely fought and won their battles against the deadly disease.

The determined duo have now been selected for the annual Breast Cancer Care Scotland fashion show in Glasgow alongside 21 other people who have had a breast cancer diagnosis.

Angela and Susan say it’s an honour to take part and they want to send a message of hope out to women across Inverclyde who have been diagnosed with the disease.

Mum-of-one Angela said: “This is to raise awareness and let people know that if you do receive the news that you have breast cancer then stay strong — you will get there and there is plenty of support.

“The show is about letting people know that good things come out of it.

“You will get through it.

“There will be times when you hit a low but try and keep your head above water because there is so much that will come out of it.”

Susan added: “I feel that if my story helps one other person then I’m doing something right.

“We also want to put it out there that you should examine yourself, as breast cancer can happen to anyone.”

Angela, who lives with her daughter Stephanie, 19, and her husband Raymond, was distraught when she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago.

The bombshell came just a day after her mum suffered a massive heart attack whilst on holiday in Benidorm.

Angela said: “My husband and I were hysterical and thinking about how Stephanie would cope without her mum.

“Even today, it brings tears to my eyes thinking of Stephanie. 

“We obviously thought my life was over.  

“I left the hospital and everything was a daze for the next few days and weeks.  

“When I left the hospital I went straight to work and everyone was obviously shocked.”

Angela says that breaking the news to her mum, who was eventually flown home to Scotland to recover, was very difficult.

She added: “My family were with me when I broke the news - I still remember the sick feeling having to let her know that I had breast cancer.  

“She was hugging me, crying and I remember her glasses falling off her face.

“The shock was unbearable but I was remaining positive.  

“I had to, for the sake of my family — especially my daughter, my mum and my husband.”

Angela, who worked throughout her treatment, underwent a lumpectomy and also went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

She added: “The first dose of chemo wasn’t good but that was the worst day of the whole treatment.

“They managed to get it under control.

“I remained positive and tried to be brave as much as I can for my family.  

“I felt very fortunate as from the date of my operation to the end of my radiotherapy it only took six months – I cannot believe how quickly everything moved and I can only praise the NHS for all the treatment to be carried out in that timescale.”

One year later, Angela and her family received the news they had desperately been looking for.

Angela said: “When I got my annual check up I was told that everything was clear – I felt on top of the world.  

“That day I decided to be up front with Stephanie and explain what I had.”

Susan, who lives with her husband Hugh, 50, and her son Lewis, 17, was diagnosed with breast cancer 25 years ago at the age of 28.

She said: “I found a lump in my breast the first time I examined myself and went to the GP.

“Being just 28, I was shocked as I didn’t think it happened to people of my age.

“But my auntie and her daughter had died of breast cancer and I had just turned 20 when my mum died from womb cancer.”

Susan, who has the faulty inherited BRCA2 gene, believes positive thinking helped her through treatment which included a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a hysterectomy.

She said: “I kept thinking to myself ‘you are going to be okay at the end of it’.

“I’d just met my husband the year before I was diagnosed and I did say to him, if this is not for you, that’s fine.

“But he told me that it wouldn’t change anything as I was still the same person.”

Susan is celebrating 25 years of being free from breast cancer despite the fact that she is living with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, having been diagnosed three years ago at the age of 50.

She said: “I feel great and I’ve just got to get on with it.

“It’s a different type of cancer so I’ve just been unlucky.

“It’s just a watch and wait situation.”

Angela and Susan, who say they’re indebted to their families, friends and work colleagues for their backing, are now looking forward to strutting their stuff at the fashion show at the Hilton in Glasgow on October 26.

It will raise vital funds to support the 4,600 people diagnosed with breast cancer across Scotland each year.

On the day, Angela and Susan will be treated like stars with a team of make-up artists, designers and stylists on hand.

Dawn Stanley, event manager at Breast Cancer Care Scotland, said: “We are so proud of our brave models.

“Taking to the catwalk is a once in lifetime opportunity for them to enjoy some well-deserved pampering, and show that it’s possible to look great and feel confident after a diagnosis of breast cancer.”

Tickets for the bash are available online at www.breastcan
cercare.org.uk/theshowscotland