A BRAVE cancer survivor from Halesowen is taking part in a Race for Life event and urging others to join her on the start line.

Jane Edwards is set to walk the 5k course at Himley Hall in Dudley on Sunday, July 9, and has issued a rallying cry of ‘If I can do it, you can too’ to others who have been affected by the disease.

The 48-year-old administrator believes she owes her life to her then partner and now husband Mark who nagged her to check her breasts for signs of cancer.

She had been out of the habit of checking until his intervention which led to her finding a lump that was diagnosed as aggressive, life-threatening breast cancer in October 2012.

Jane is now on the road to recovery but still has to deal with side effects from gruelling treatment which has left her without stamina and unable to run.

But the former club runner is determined to walk the course ahead of her five year all clear anniversary in October, having celebrated her first wedding anniversary to 48-year-old Mark in April.

They had only just started dating when Mark, whose mum is also a breast cancer survivor, urged her to check.

After feeling a lump she visited her GP and within two weeks she had undergone a mammogram and biopsy in hospital.

Within days Jane was back in hospital receiving a lumpectomy which was repeated weeks later to ensure all the cancer had been removed. Five lymph nodes also removed were clear.

Jane started chemotherapy in December that year and Mark attended every session with her.

After radiotherapy treatment – which left Jane suffering from terrible fatigue – Jane took the drug, Herceptin, for a year.

She returned to work part-time when her treatment finished and resumed full-time work in October 2013.

Jane said: “I may not be here today without Mark. He saved my life. I had a very aggressive cancer. If it had not been caught early I might not have survived. It is a terrifying thought. I feel very, very lucky.”

At first, she was terrified about losing her hair and first wore a wig.

But she said: “I eventually gave up about worrying about my hair and Mark shaved off what was left of it. From that day it felt like I had taken back control of my life.

“Mark had seen me at my worst. He looked after me through a very difficult time”.

She added: “I have done Race for life for many years - long before I had cancer.

“I will probably have to walk the 5k this year but I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Seeing the sea of pink at Race for Life is just amazing.

“I’m so proud to join the fight at Race for Life. I’m proof that women of all ages and abilities can take on the challenge. There’s an event to suit everyone - it’s not about pounding the pavements or racing to the finish line, it’s about coming together to beat cancer sooner.”

To enter Race for Life people can visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.