You can't scare me I've survived Cancer & Chemo now it's seven years on...
Jane Gentleman-Jonas is raising money for Breast Cancer Care
Story
We are half way through our challenge and still have 300+ miles to run. Susie our work colleague has very kindly joined the team to help increase our mileage and I will endeavour to post a picture of Susie on here. Also my two wonderful neighbours who also run Nicky and Gino have volunteered to join in as well so we are hopeful now we will still reach our 621 miles by the end of the year. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far and if you haven't already donated please do give what you can.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 50 and now seven years on I am fully recovered. My hair has grown back and I've had some fun with it along the way dyeing it peroxide!
I am still taking tamoxifen and I have finished a course of Zometa which like chemotherapy is given in a transfusion form at the hospital. I can now only have these transfusions in my hands as your veins are generally unusable after chemo.
Writing my blogs whilst going through my chemotherapy and radiation treatment in the first year I raised £2,287 and now I am fully recovered and running again I really want to raise the remainder to reach £5k.
Women are still dying from breast cancer and we need your help and we are asking you to give whatever you can to help me and my best friend Victoria hit our target.
Victoria came to nearly all my chemo sessions with me and has been a rock to me not only through my cancer scare but throughout my life; we have known each other for over 30+ years.
We are going to have a running challenge and our target is to run 1000km (621 miles) between us by 1st January 2024.
We would be HUGELY grateful if you can dig deep into your pockets and donate as much as you can.
I am one of the lucky ones... I will survive. I was diagnosed with breast cancer mid December and had a successful lumpectomy on the 30th December. After my first chemotherapy session I decided to write this blog and will be writing another couple over the next few months about my experience of having cancer, and surviving, in order to raise money. I hope that people will visit my Justgiving page and donate whatever they can afford to my chosen breast cancer charity.
In order to defeat the cancer I will undergo six chemotherapy sessions every three weeks followed by a month of radiotherapy. My first chemo session was on the 13th February. Mandy, my wife and soul mate has been amazing and comes armed with a notebook to every meeting and keeps me on track in terms of following the procedures. I would be lost without her. We have been through so much together and this is just another chapter in our lives that will make us stronger and closer.
I am also extremely fortunate in the fact that my best friend from school, Jane, had breast cancer five years ago and had exactly the same course of chemo so she has been a huge support in preparing me for what to expect. Jane also shaved her head as soon as her hair started to fall out. I was unaware that when the hair follicles start to die your scalp becomes very tender so shaving my hair off was a much more comfortable option than letting it fall out naturally and psychologically
it helped me to feel more in control.
Losing your hair is a really weird experience and extremely traumatic for most women. I had very short hair in my mid twenties through to my mid thirties so, for me, it hasn’t been so devastating but I do understand and empathise so much with women who absolutely dread the thought of losing their hair. So much so that they go for the option of the “cold-cap” in order to try and save it. Often it doesn’t work though and they still lose their hair and apparently it is incredibly painful.
Most people have been touched by cancer in their lives and I suppose I’m not really that surprised at my diagnosis as my father died of bowel cancer after a seven year battle at the age of seventy and my brother died four years ago from skin cancer which spread to his lungs. He was only forty-nine. He wasn’t a smoker, however, he had a long-term battle with alcohol and wasn’t in the right place to fight cancer. My mother also had a lumpectomy fifteen years ago. Fortunately her cancer hadn’t spread to her nodes so she managed to avoid the dreaded chemotherapy and is still going strong at the age of seventy-five. I think
having had these experiences with my immediate family has made it easier for me to cope with the dreaded “C” word and to ask relevant questions during consultations. Also understanding that not all cancers kill you and that many people survive it, going on to lead long and healthy and happy lives is very important.
I reacted really well to the first dose of chemo and have been able to continue working, which for me is very important. Peter, my boss, and all my work colleagues have been amazing and extremely supportive. I love what I do and it will keep me sane and focussed through this. It is good to keep life as normal as possible and not to dwell on feeling poorly through the chemo I think. I will be completely bald in a couple of weeks and have bought a few turbans and hats so as to not scare my work colleagues and to keep out the cold! It is so hard for women that peoples’ reaction to baldness is with “shock”. We don’t expect to see bald women but I am sure there are plenty of them out there mostly sporting wigs or some form of headwear to disguise their baldness. That is why I have decided to Brave The Shave…and also to update my Linked-in picture with my no.2. When I write my next blog I will post a picture of me completely bald. So watch out!
I had my second dose of “hemlock” yesterday as Peter calls it, which I find extremely amusing! Mandy says humour is important when you are coping with something like this and it is so true, we make fun of the situation a lot together. My very special friend Victoria came along with me for moral support yesterday; we have been friends for twenty-five years and she always makes me laugh and makes fun of me, which I love. It is good to take a friend, I think, rather than your spouse as it gives them a break. It is hard on your immediate family watching you feel unwell and living with this process 24/7. I am very lucky to have a wonderful family and friends who have all been so very kind. I have received flowers galore, hampers, chocolates, quite a few hats and scarves and loads of support, so thank you all you have made me feel very loved.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
This is a piece of homework written by my best friend Jane's niece Helena:
Jane Cooper is my auntie and my godmother. I have chosen her because I admire her as she is always kind to others, she is NEVER unfair and always looks from everyone’s prospective when judging what to do. She is not only a godmother and auntie to me she is a role model who I love very much.
Although Jane has many achievements I will only say a couple of them. She has two lovely girls and a lovely husband. She suffered from Cancer a few years ago and managed to fight it and she just recently got the results back that all the cancer has gone and that she is now fine!
She may not be Ghandi or Nelson Mandela but she is still a hero. She may not have stopped a partied but she fought against cancer which I think is incredible even though I have already said it. She’s a hero to me because she always looks after me and is kind to everyone around her. When we went skiing together I got really sick in a cable car and my face was going green. Jane, my uncle and Celia, a really nice family friend, helped me by carrying my skies, helmet and poles, asking around for water and Jane helped me walk to outside through this really long
tunnel. I couldn’t have done it without her support.
Like I said earlier she may not be Nelson Mandel or Ghandi but she is still is a hero to me...
My 2nd blog....
Thanks to everyone for reading my first blog and all the encouraging and kind messages you sent. Also a HUGE thanks to those who have already donated to my fund raising. I am aiming to raise £5k by the end of September when my treatment is over. My Justgiving page is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jane-Jonas and all donations will be greatly appreciated.
Since writing my last blog I have paid a visit to our local barbers and had a professional wet shave; lots of hot towels and one very cold one at the end and updated my profile picture as promised! There were a few confused looks from some of the gents waiting in the queue but all in all I felt most people probably guessed why I was going bald. I have found being bald quite liberating and have really enjoyed buying lots of different styles of hats. I’ve been wearing turbans indoors as it does get a bit chilly. I imagine all you bald men out there just get used to it?
I had my third session of chemo on Tuesday last week and Mandy, my wife, admitted that she was grateful for Victoria, a very special friend, coming with me again as she did find it hard watching me being pumped full of poison. I’ve found this third dose the toughest yet and have to remind myself I’m now half way there. Three down, three to go! According to my consultant and Jane, my best friend from school and a breast cancer survivor, the last three are the worst and you feel like you have “been run over by a truck”. I admire everyone out there who has undergone chemo and I know a lot of people have to endure a lot more than my six sessions. It is an awful experience and one that I really would rather have never endured.
Last week I celebrated my 51st birthday and Mother’s Day with family and friends and I did manage a few glasses of vino! You start feeling ‘normal’ again at the end of the second week, beginning of the third prior to the next dose, so the timing worked well.
Nearly everyone I know who has had cancer, or has been touched by cancer, say that it makes you realise how precious friends and family and life is. St. John, a previous work colleague and now a good friend, wrote a message about my last blog and he mentioned “this prescious gift of life” and it is so true. Life is prescious and extremely fragile and we must treasure it and enjoy it. I have been so touched by all my friends and family. It’s been heartwarming to realise how much I’m loved and appreciated. Even though in the first week after a dose of “hemlock” you feel absolutely dreadful, you know it’s not forever and you come out the other end. Being a step-parent to Freya and Meli has been an extremely rewarding experience but also a personally challenging one. I’ve certainly not been a perfect parent but who is? Our oldest daughter Freya (twenty-two) sent us a stunning bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day with this beautiful message and we were both overwhelmed with love and pride. It made us both realise we hadn’t done too bad a job. The weekend was fantastic and probably the best birthday I have ever had as I really felt lucky to be alive.
Breast cancer caught early is curable and that is why I am writing these blogs in order to raise money so the research can continue. Apparently they are very close to finding a course of treatment where women won’t have to go through chemo which will be amazing so please give generously to my Justgiving page and also share my post to help spread the word for me.
My 3rd blog....
A lot of people think you loose weight when you’re on chemo but the opposite can often be the case. If you react well and are tolerant to the drugs, which include steroids, you tend to put on weight. To counteract the awful feeling of sickness, eating actually helps. When you undergo a course of chemotherapy having had breast cancer you are automatically thrown into the menopause – oh yes that dreaded word we are not supposed to mention especially in the workplace! Those of you who know me well and have worked with me will know I am not the type to be embarrassed by such things. ALL women go through the menopause and we all have to deal with it in our daily lives. I was already in my menopause so the hot flushes at work; jumper off, jumper on, suddenly sweating at the most inappropriate time in an important meeting, was all happening to me. Why are we all so “uptight” about this issue when it’s just a fact of life? I found this article and thought it was worth sharing on the subject:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/handle-menopause-workplace/
Also Kirsty Wark recently made a documentary on Channel 4 which has fourteen days left to run: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ndjfw
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK. Around 11,400 people die from breast cancer in the UK every year. More than eight out of 10 (87%) people survive breast cancer beyond five years. 1 in 7 women aged 50-70 who attend routine mammograms never check their breasts for signs of cancer outside these appointments. Breast cancer also affects men, but it’s rare – around 390 men are diagnosed each year. The three main risk factors are:
1. Gender - being a woman is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer.
2. Getting older - the older the person the higher the risk. More than 80% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50. Most men who get breast cancer are over 60.
3. Significant family history – this isn’t common, around 5% of people diagnosed with breast cancer have inherited a faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
When I went for my CT scan recently the Radiographer informed me that you can pay £188 at most private hospitals for an early scan at forty with no need for a private health plan. He also told me that Marks & Spencer have been paying for their employees to have early screening rather than waiting until you are fifty for your NHS scan for many years. What a fantastic perk and well done to M&S! Are their any other large corporate employers also offering this service? If so well done and if not, why not?http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/flying-the-flag-for-womens-health/
Since writing my last blog I have had my fourth session of chemo, which was the one I was told makes you feel like you have “been run over by a truck”. Now having been through this I understand why the consultant and other chemo patients describe it like that. I again was lucky though and only really felt absolutely dreadful for one day and then just very week and a bit achy for a week. I still managed to get out and walk the dogs though, and only had one day where I was completely out of the game. Our beautiful three four-legged friends have really helped me get through this as well as all my family and friends. Dogs are so good for your health and mental state. They really are our best friends.
I am starting to get tired of not feeling “normal” and I have another two sessions to go. My consultant told me the next two are the worst and feel similar to the fourth. My nails have become very weak and look a bit discoloured and I have lost almost all my eyebrows and eyelashes now as well as my hair. I didn’t mind being bald so much but, from a vanity point of view, I am actually finding it quite hard to have no eyebrows and eyelashes. A lot of chemo patients develop rashes and severe mouth ulcers but so far I have been lucky. I keep telling myself to focus on the positives and how I actually haven’t felt that bad through it all and it will all be over soon and I will be fit and well again and alive, thanks to our NHS system and a routine check-up.
Fourth Blog....
I want these blogs to be informative and to encourage people to attend their free NHS health-checks and it is working; I had this response from someone:“ Thanks for sharing your experiences. I try to encourage my partner to be more proactive regarding health checks. Reading your post helps me to try to do that.”
The drugs from the chemotherapy stay in your system for a year and the last two doses were by far the worst! I felt like a huge weight was on my chest the whole time and sometimes felt short of breadth. It was very tough but I did keep walking regularly with my dogs and I also kept working. I actually managed to help a few candidates secure new contracts. Working helped me to stay positive.
My fingernails did discolour and became very weak and flaky. They looked as if I had been biting them. I am happy to report that they have grown back now and so has my hair and my eyelashes and eyebrows.
Two weeks after my last dose of chemo I started a months course of radiotherapy which was not uncomfortable in anyway. It can make you feel tired. It was an inconvenience attending the hospital every day for an hour but compared to the chemotherapy treatment it was a walk in the park.
Another thing I think I should mention is the PICC Line, which is inserted in your arm prior to starting chemotherapy treatment. This is optional but without it you run the risk of your veins collapsing each time you have an infusion. Having the PICC Line made the chemo infusion very quick and efficient. It is a little annoying at first as you can’t shower without a cover over your arm and you have to go to the hospital once a week to have it dressed and flushed. One of the side affects from the PICC Line and chemotherapy is the possibility of developing a blood clot, which unfortunately I did. I woke up one morning, two weeks after my last dose, to find my left forearm looking lumpy and feeling painful. I immediately went back to the chemo unit and they booked me in for a scan the very next morning and sent me away with a prescription of Clexane to inject in my stomach daily. The scan showed I had developed a small clot and I was prescribed Clexane for the next three months. The injections are much larger than the ones used for type-one diabetes so it did smart a bit and caused quite a bit of bruising.