Top 50 coach Lysa Jones on being diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer

Lysa Jones is one of the leading coaches in the game and is part of Graham Walker’s academy team at The Oaks near York. She currently coaches the England Under 18 boys’ side and is one of Golf Monthly’s Top 50 coaches. In 2019 she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer which was successfully treated after a lumpectomy, followed by radiotherapy and medication. 

Here she shares her story…

‘I had been feeling tired for a long time if I am honest but you’d just ignore it as I was working long hours. It was running up to the North of England county match week in the middle of June and I went to the doctor and I explained that something didn’t feel right. They said they would put me on anti-depressants and HRT. So, anyway, I wasn’t really happy with that and I said I would sort it myself.  

Then I had a really bad cold, couldn’t get out of bed and I also had a cough. Covid wasn’t out then but it was symptoms like that, then I booked an appointment with a female doctor and she said that they would run a few blood tests. And then really weirdly, she looked down my ear and touched the side of my throat and my glands were swollen. She said that I might be a bit run down and could I come back in a couple of days?  

I explained that I was away with Yorkshire and she told me to come back the Monday after the matches. I missed the practice session as I couldn’t get out of bed. I rang the captain and apologised and she asked if we should get another coach? And I was like, no! So I rested and turned up on the Monday and everyone commented how ill I was looking. I was coughing, tired and pale.

On the Wednesday I was in the shower and all I could remember was the doctor saying that my glands were swollen, and for some reason, and I’ve no idea why to this day, I started to examine myself. And I thought, ‘bloody hell, I can feel a lump’.  I thought don’t worry, it will go tomorrow. Crack on, as a coach, as you do, you’ve got a job to do. But the following day it was still there. So, I put it to one side as I had a job to do and keen for us to win the county week, which we did! I didn’t mention any of this to the players or county captain. My sister was rushed into hospital with a suspected appendicitis so my emotions were all over the place but I made sure that I kept this away from my players.

So I have a three-hour car journey home and I knew that I had a little issue here. I rang the doctor on the Monday morning and explained that I had found a…