Lisa Royle Shares Boob Selfie On Facebook To Raise Awareness For Breast Cancer

Lisa Royle, the woman whose boob selfie went viral to raise awareness for breast cancer, is recovering after undergoing a mastectomy.

Lisa Royle Undergoes Mastectomy

Royle, a 42-year-old mother, shared a photo of her breast to Facebook on May 11, depicting a slight dimple in her breast, which is a symptom of her cancer. When she shared the photo, Royle wrote that she wanted to encourage other women to perform self-examinations and check any abnormalities. “Ok so I never thought I’d post a boob picture on Facebook but I thought I would before it gets chopped off next week…This is all that I found on my boob. Very subtle dimples underneath that could easily be missed when we’re all rushing round getting ready in a morning. Please take time to look at your boobs. It could save [your] life,” Royle wrote.

The post went viral, and has since been shared on Facebook over 73,000 times. On Monday, Royle underwent a mastectomy, and her husband, Craig Thomas Royle, updated her supporters on Facebook, commenting on the original photo. “Lisa is out of surgery and doing really well. Bit groggy from the morphine, but in good spirits and should be home later this evening. The support has blown us away so a massive thanks to u all,” he wrote.

Royle spoke to Manchester Evening News from her hospital bed and said that she regularly checks for lumps, and considers herself lucky that she noticed the dimples. “I knew once I saw them [the dimples] that something wasn’t right. I went to the GP who referred me to a consultant. Neither of them could find a lump. I had a mammogram a week later which showed calcification of the breast tissue and an ultrasound found a small lump about 1cm,” she said.

Royle underwent a mastectomy and will soon start chemotherapy and radiation. “I can’t believe how many people have seen the picture, I just hope it encourages everyone to check their boobs regularly, not just feel for lumps but look for changes too,” she added.