A woman discovered she had breast cancer after a thermal imaging camera in a tourist attraction picked up an unusual patch of heat.
Bal Gill was visiting the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile in May when she saw the red heat radiating from her breast on a thermal image.
Mrs Gill thought the heat was odd, and so searched online, to find thermal imaging cameras are sometimes used to help oncologists diagnose cancers.
She made an appointment with her doctor, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the “really early stages”.
Mrs Gill, 41, from Slough, is now waiting for a third operation to try to stop the disease from spreading.
She has written to the team at the Camera Obscura to thank them – saying it was a visit that changed her life.
General manager Andrew Johnson said: “We did not realise that our thermal camera had the potential to detect life-changing symptoms in this way.
“We were really moved when Bal contacted us to share her story as breast cancer is very close to home for me and a number of our team.
It’s amazing that Bal noticed the difference in the image and, crucially, acted on it promptly.
“We wish her all the best with her recovery and hope to meet her and her family in the future,” he said.
