POP princess Kylie Minogue this week opened her heart for the first time about her battle against breast cancer. The star, diagnosed with the illness last May, admitted she still has a "mountain to climb" before returning to full health. In her most candid interview to date she told how she could not stand watching chunks of her hair fall out after starting gruelling chemotherapy. She revealed how she shaved her famous blonde locks off in one go - and how she found the whole experience liberating. The singer also said she had learned that her very public battle with cancer had encouraged more women to check their breasts for signs of the illness. Her words had an extra special meaning for Catriona Cowie of Glasgow, who has fought her own battle against breast cancer. She was just 23 when she found out she had the illness. She happened to see a lump on her left breast while in the shower and went to her GP to have it checked out. She said: "Like most women you think it is nothing. I wasn't too worried. "But days later I got the news it was cancer. It was devastating. "One of the hardest things was telling my family and friends, but they were great, a tremendous support. "Having cancer can be the loneliest time of your life as you know it is you and you alone who has to fight it. But it can also make you a much stronger person." Catriona described Kylie as an inspiration to women around the world, saying her ordeal had made more people aware of the disease. Catriona, now 30, became a breast cancer support worker for Breast Cancer Care Scotland after beating her illness and says she has spoken first-hand to women who have become aware of lumps thanks to Kylie. She said: "I help young women who are worried about cancer and have been diagnosed with it. "In recent months a lot of them have told me how they started checking their breasts and looking for other signs of cancer since learning about what happened to Kylie. "There is no doubt she has helped raise awareness and in a way helped women with the illness feel stronger. "They see and hear what she is going through and think 'If Kylie can do this, then so can I'." Catriona, a hearing aid dispenser, admits she rarely checked her breasts for signs despite reading about ways to look for symptoms in magazines. But when she noticed a lump, she wasted no time going to get it checked out. Within weeks of being diagnosed in August 1999, she had her left breast removed. At the same time she had breast reconstruction, when surgeons removed skin from her buttocks to create a new breast during a 15-hour operation. Like is when you have no hair that people see you are ill. "It makes you feel very uncomfortable and people stare. Kylie has been amazing about that. I think we have all seen her with funky hats and bandanas. "Now her hair has started to grow back she looks amazing. Her strength can only help other women in her situation." Catriona, who got engaged to boyfriend Colin McAlpine four months after being diagnosed, was told the devastating news that her chemo might have left her infertile. She said: "That was hard. I was only 23 and very much in love. So being told I would probably never have kids was really tough. "But we just got on with it and said we'd cross that bridge once I was better." Months later Catriona started weeks of okay what with all the treatments I had. Thankfully she was." Catriona now says she is determined to make sure her daughter and her friends know all about cancer and to start checking their breasts when they are older. She said: "Cancer is no longer a taboo word, and I am sure Kylie has helped make it more acceptable to talk about it, write about it and have discussions about it. "I fully intend talking to Lauren about it when she is older. "Her dad too knows all about it, having watched me go through it all. He is also a huge Kylie fan and has been watching her progress with interest. "She really is quite an amazing woman whose story has been followed by so many people. There is no doubt she will Kylie she had eight sessions of chemotherapy when her hair started falling out. Catriona said: "For anyone, having your hair fall out is hard. I think it's tougher for younger women who spend so much time with their hair. "Like Kylie, I had long blonde hair. But I didn't shave it all off. I watched it fall out. With hindsight I wish I had because watching it fall out was so difficult. "It's weird. Your hair falls out usually once you've been through the worst and had surgery. But it radiotherapy to make sure all the cancer cells were killed off. She was warned she might feel sick, put on weight, feel very tired and have mood swings - and she suffered all four. But in May 2001 she got another shock - she discovered she was 22 weeks pregnant. She said: "We'd put it down to my treatments and made a joke about how I was getting a pot belly. It was the best news ever." Four months later her daughter Lauren was born weighing a healthy 7lb 5oz. Catriona said: "I was praying she'd be have helped save a number of lives just by making people more aware and making breast cancer an acceptable topic of conversation. "People like Kylie show that cancer can make you stronger - and that is certainly the case with me. "I love showing off my boobs now as I am so glad they are there. "I love nothing more than wearing bikinis in the nice weather. "I feel lucky just being alive." Breast Cancer Care Scotland can be contacted at www.breastcancercare.org.uk or tel: 0808 800 6000. There's no doubt that Kylie has helped raise awareness and also helped women with breast cancer feel stronger' BREAST CANCER FACTS BREAST cancer is the most common cancer in women in Scotland. ALMOST 30 per cent of all cancers in Scots women occur in the breast. AROUND 8000 women are diagnosed before their menopause each year, of which around 2200 are in their twenties and thirties. ONE in every nine women will develop breast cancer at some point. IT is the leading cause of death for women aged 34 to 54. EARLIER detection and better treatments have improved mortality rates. PHYSICAL examination and regular screening can help detect a potential problem. | 
