The waters of the River Teign turned a rosy hue early last Friday morning (October 18) when a chorus of mermaids dressed in pink gathered to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Teignmouth’s sirens of the sea want to encourage everybody to check their bodies for changes in support of an inspirational member of their wild swimming group who was recently diagnosed with an advanced form of breast cancer.

With the full moon still shining over the River Teign, the mermaids gathered for their morning dip and heard a first-hand account of breast cancer from 59-year-old Mary Miles, a theatre nurse from Teignmouth.

Mary Miles in the floral hat with another Teignmouth Mermaid raising awareness of breast cancer
Mary Miles in the floral hat wants to encourage everybody to 'grab life and get checked' (Lisa Allen)

Mary spoke candidly about her journey and her recent shock diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer after she found a lump that had not appeared on her routine mammogram.

Mary is keen to get the message out that ‘while mammograms are useful diagnostic tools, they cannot be relied upon and it’s vital that we all get to know our bodies so we can quickly spot changes and be proactive about our health’.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Teignmouth Mermaids want to make sure as many women – and men – as possible know how to check their bodies for signs of breast cancer so they can catch the signs early.

Teignmouth Mermaids dressed in pink enter the River Teign as the moon sets
Teignmouth Mermaids enter the River Teign as the moon sets (Peta Howell)

In 2022, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and 60,000 of those were in the UK. While there is often an assumption that breast cancer is a disease that affects older women, around 400 men were also diagnosed with breast cancer last year. And, contrary to belief, breast cancer can affect anyone at any age after puberty.

In Mary’s case, a routine mammogram did not show any abnormalities. She actually noticed the change in her boobs when she went for a fitting to buy a new bra. So she is keen to spread the message about how vital it is for everyone to get to know their bodies and get checked out if they notice any changes.

Teignmouth Mermaids intend to help spread the word and have been inspired by the founders of cancer charity Coppafeel. The charity was founded in 2009 by Kris Hallenga and her twin sister Maren. Kris was diagnosed with incurable, stage 4/secondary breast cancer at just 23 years of age. Kris had never been told to check herself and did not know she could get breast cancer at such a young age. Kris sadly died this year, but her lasting legacy is a charity with a mission to educate young people about checking their bodies from an early age so there is a chance an early diagnosis treatment.

Mary Miles emerges from the River Teign after a dip with her fellow Teignmouth Mermaids
Mary Miles emerges from the River Teign after a dip with her fellow Teignmouth Mermaids (Peta Howell)

Inspired by their friend Mary, along with Kris and Coppafeel, Teignmouth Mermaid’s want to send out a message to ‘give yourself some TLC’.

Touch your breasts

Look for changes

Check anything new or unusual with a doctor

‘Please don’t rely on a mammogram,’ Mary said. ‘Please make sure you check yourself regularly. Grab life and get to know your bodies.’