Midwife Rachel McCormack said it wasn’t unusual to have back pain in her job
A mum who believed her back pain was due to a pulled muscle discovered it was actually a symptom of breast cancer after scans revealed a fracture on her spine caused by tumours. Rachel McCormack, 38, initially fought off stage two breast cancer in 2015 but was given the all-clear following chemotherapy and surgery, with annual mammograms keeping an eye on her health.
The mum-of-one started experiencing lower back pain in December 2024, which she initially attributed to gradual muscle strain. She saw a GP and was referred for physiotherapy.
However, as the pain continued to “get worse”, Rachel voiced her concerns to her breast team at Scarborough Hospital. An MRI scan confirmed that her vertebrae had been fractured due to tumours on her spine.
After being diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer in July 2025, she is currently undergoing 12 weeks of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and body-targeted therapy to shrink the tumour.
With her prognosis still uncertain, Rachel has been told her condition is not curable – so friends and family have rallied round to raise funds and buy a campervan. This will allow Rachel, her partner James, 39, and their five-year-old daughter Iris to enjoy “a little bit of freedom” in between treatments.
Rachel, a midwife from Scarborough, said: “In clinical midwifery you are twisting and bending into all sorts of positions. A bad back is not unusual for someone doing my job.
“I went to physiotherapy and it just didn’t get any better, it just got worse. I got in touch with my breast team and asked for a bone scan.
“So ultimately the MRI showed one of my vertebrae was severely fractured due to the cancer. The stats out there show the median amounts of time people live well for but it’s very dependent on how it responds to treatment.
“I’m in practical mode in terms of working out what treatments I need, day-to-day life and the practicalities of childcare. I’ve got a five-year-old who goes to school and needs to be supported to have this normal life.
“With the campervan we can pick up and go on a weekend if the weather’s nice or I’m feeling good. While still maintaining a normal life that you can’t just throw up in the air and walk away from in a situation like this, even though feel like you might need to.”
Rachel’s yearly mammograms since her initial diagnosis have consistently come back clear, but she has battled with “anxiety” that her cancer would make a comeback.
She said: “In the early days, that was a scary time where I was not seeing anyone regularly and I knew there was a possibility it would come back and managing anxiety thinking with every ache and pain ‘is that something?'” Regarding the fracture on her spine, Rachel will be monitored throughout chemotherapy with the possibility of surgery further down the line.
Having fundraised frequently during her years in remission for Cancer Research and Macmillan, she has always been passionate about raising awareness “especially around young people and breast cancer”.
Rachel said: “It’s about raising that awareness that it does happen to women in their 20s and if you do suspect anything always get it checked out and push if you’re not happy with it. Yes unfortunately I do have secondary stage four cancer that’s not going to be cured, but I had a really good response to my primary diagnosis and I got 10 years clear – that’s because I was diagnosed early enough to be diagnosed and treated effectively.”
A fundraiser launched by a work colleague to help the family purchase a campervan has already smashed its £15,000 target. “I feel fraudulent all these people raising money just for me,” Rachel said.
“The idea of campervan is it will give us a little bit of freedom and escape from treatment while also being able to maintain normality in life. We talked the about idea of doing one of those big once-in-a-lifetime trips, but it’s hard with an uncertain prognosis to know what to do.
“For something that works for us, we have a car to sell to put towards the fund. My chemo is done at the end of November and we’ll be in a position to do something around Christmas to make it a special memory.”
To contribute to Rachel’s campervan fundraiser, visit JustGiving.