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On the 24th September I will be competing in my first ever triathlon at Hever Castle in Kent to raise money for the charity Team Phoenix. 

Team Phoenix is a local charity which was established in 2016. The charity helps women who have been affected by breast cancer regain their physical and mental well-being. At the core of the charity is a dedicated group of sports coaches , doctors and volunteers who train and assist breast cancer survivors to complete a sprint distance triathlon. 

As many of you know I was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer in July 2019. It was during this time whilst undergoing a rather gruelling chemotherapy regime ( and at my weekly Park Run - which my lovely friend Wendy dragged me to each Saturday )  that I first met this group of inspiring ladies - at the time I was struggling with my diagnosis and although going through the  motions was living in constant fear of dying - I felt like a shadow of my former self - but they assured me I would get through and that I too (once recovered)  would become a member of Team Phoenix and complete a triathlon. I did get through my treatment and went on to have a mastectomy and radiotherapy but the physical and mental effect on my body was - too put it mildly - completely devastating- It isn’t something I talk about often, but I can honestly say I have never felt so low in my life. 

It’s hard to comprehend just how overwhelming a breast cancer diagnosis can be - it’s like so  many things in life I guess - until you experience it for yourself you can only really imagine the effect it may have on you. Once you have got through treatment and learn to live with the side effects from that ( 3 years on I still have no feeling in my toes and struggle to walk on bare feet ) and accept the quite drastic changes to your body; you also have to get your head around the fact that your cancer may return. The  risk of breast cancer reoccurrence is probably the most worrying and debilitating fact about recovery in my opinion. Every ache and/or pain sends a wave of fear and anxiety through your whole being ; you develop a completely over- sensitised body awareness which to be frank can be totally  exhausting. Women do not  die of cancer in a breast; they die when it  spreads or reoccurs in an organ - this is the reality and constant fear that all survivors have to learn to live with. 

This is just a brief insight into my own experience of living with and hopefully surviving breast cancer ; it will not be the same for everybody but this is why I believe the work of Team Phoenix to be so incredibly important. To train with a group of women who have a shared experience has been such a worthwhile and inspiring thing to do. To have that extra focus in life which stops you walking up at silly o’clock in the morning worrying about how your body may or may not be feeling is nothing short of life changing..Add to that  the fact that physical exercise is one of the few things that research has consistently proven can help prevent reoccurrence and you see why I feel so strongly about this amazing charity. 

The money raised will ensure that the programme will be able to continue for years to come and who knows could even expand to give more women this incredible life changing opportunity. Most importantly , let’s not forget who those women are : they are your mums and nans ; your daughters and sisters ; your aunties , cousins and friends - infact they could be every single one of us ❤️

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