Being told I have a cancer was the hardest thing I had ever heard. My world had come to stand still! After 9 months of battle and four surgeries, I have defeated the cancer, whilst waiting for further surgeries. I am now cancer free and determined to make a difference in the lives of other females going through their cancer battle of the lifetime. I have opened up about my cancer battle with a hope that I can make a difference in the lives of other females and provide help and support.

After having my mastectomy surgery I realise the issues surrounding such surgeries. NHS don't provide drain bags as it is not considered life saving necessity. I am sure you can sympathise that after the trauma of such an operation, the anxiety of dropping the drain, leaving it behind, the humiliation and embarrassment is the last thing the female need to focus on. As we know every little helps and every little with donation, no matter how small or how big it is, together it would create a mountain of kindness and compassion and in no time, we would be able to give dignity to all the female cancer patients undergoing life changing surgeries.

Following a life changing cancer surgery, females go through enormous amount of distressing feelings. Many become physically and emotionally isolated, feeling displaced and enduring painful and dignity reducing treatments. I was no exception to these feelings. Before I went in for my surgery I knew I was going to be discharged from hospital with drain for at least 10 to 12 days. Unfortunately, hospitals don’t usually provide drain bags and some females I saw using plastic bags or other type of bags including pillow case. It is so inconvenient to use hand to carry the drains and not having the use of your hands for other things. The drain bag enables one a mobility whether indoor or outdoor.

Drains are plastic tubes left at the operation site, stitched to the body to suck out the body fluid to be drained in clear bottle attached to the tubes (fluid coming out is blood colour with bits of body tissues floating) from the operation site. I was told that the drain could stay in for one to two weeks, depending on the amount of body fluid drained. I was dreaded by the entire drain saga but was more worried about carrying the drain bottle everywhere and having to look at it.

Mastectomy put a woman through significant emotional and psychical trauma and having to see the drain bottle filled with body fluid mixed with blood and some of the body tissue floating on top of the fluid, would certainly be more traumatic. Many females go through trauma of the drain bottles, trauma of carrying it everywhere, emotional turmoil of constant thinking as to what would others think of them and their drains, trauma of the drain bottle hanging from the body and countless more traumas.

Fortunately, I was provided with a drain bag, which was donated by someone to the hospital. It was a pink flowery small cloth bag just like hand bag but with long belt to be hanged on shoulder. I came home with my drain in the little bag and I called the bag a dignity bag. The dignity bag gave me mobility within my house and I was able to attend washroom without any support carrying my dignity bag with me (drain attached to me).

I was perhaps fortunate that I had my dignity bag with me, which guarded my dignity. However, not all females going through mastectomy have such bags, and they have to go through that painful experience of having to look at the drain bottle all the time causing grief and embarrassment, or use alternative method.

I am now committed to save other cancer sufferer females dignity, the way my dignity was saved. Please help me to support other females with a dignity bag. Not all the NHS hospitals have those bags and even if they have they are in very small quantity. Not all the patients have access to these bags.

My aim is to get these dignity bags made and donate them to all the hospitals in UK, but we will start with small numbers from the local hospitals. The task is daunting and off course would need all of your support in terms of donation. I would utilise all my recourses and would help cancer patients undergoing surgeries to maintain their dignity. Together we can do something amazing and put smile on those faces who have to go through this devastating journey of their life.