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Team Phoenix is a group of ladies who have faced cancer and come through the other side, rising from the ashes, like a Phoenix !We are training for a Triathlon!

"Team Phoenix is a breast cancer survivorship programme. We address mind, body, and soul through the sport of triathlon. Our women follow personalised 12-week training programmes with our coach, form friendships through social events and ultimately race together in a sprint distance triathlon."

We are swimming 400m at the lake at Hever Castle, then cycling 20km around the grounds and up some big hills too! Then running 5km! It's all happening on 25th September 2021.

We've not had long to train to be honest! We only met at the end of May, then started training 7th June! We've crammed in so much training in this short period of time. We've all prioritised our training schedules over, seeing friends and family so I would just like to say thank you to all of you, who have supported my crazy training schedule and missed out on other social activities.

Team phoenix has allowed us 10 ladies to heal through exercise and laughter and grit determination! They have supplied us all with bikes, helmets, wet suits, floats, and fins, alongside excellent coaching from Medway Tri Coaching and some amazing, kind and supportive mentors who have willingly volunteered their time to help and hold our hands through every step of the training, for free. Some of us have really faced some fears, mine being swimming in a dirty, filthy lake! It's been such a hard slog, but having like minded, amazing ladies alongside me has made it fun, enjoyable and such a sense of achievement. I am fundraising for Team Phoenix to allow new Firebirds to train for a Triathlon next year and put bloody cancer behind them! 

So I'm sure you all know my sob story by now!
But here's a quick-ish (you all know what I'm like for talking) reminder....

Diagnosed aged 28 with breast cancer, in 2005.Had the usual chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Breezed through my treatment but realised I wanted to do something better with my life! I decided I wanted to change my career, so trained in 2009 to become a Nurse. I wanted to give something back and make a difference, as corny as that sounds! Whilst training, against the odds, I naturally fell pregnant with our beautiful big boy in 2012. I finished my training and qualiIfied in September, then he arrived weeks later! Perfect timing.

During my training, I felt drawn to patients at the end of their life and became a palliative care nurse, working in the Heart of Kent Hospice. I have loved this job and feel so privileged caring for terminally ill patients and their families. Three years later, in 2015, our beautiful second little bundle of joy arrived. 2 boys, how lucky and blessed. X

Then very out of the blue, 13 years later, in August 2018, I found my cancer had returned. After suffering for 6 months, I finally was diagnosed with a pleural effusion and had over 2 litres of fluid drained from the cavity between my lung and my ribcage. I was told the breast cancer cells had returned and were in my lung lining and in my bones, mainly my spine, neck, jaw and ribs. We were understandably shocked and heart broken by the terminal cancer diagnosis, just like my patients at the hospice.

Strangely, in August 2020, I was diagnosed with a new breast tumour, which was unrelated to the original cancer. My first cancer was hormone receptive, which fed off hormones but this new cancer is called triple negative (TNBC). It's a very aggressive type of breast cancer. It has already spread to 4 further lymph node areas, some of which are inoperable as they are in my neck and under my clavicle. So far they have responded well to treatment so that's brilliant. The treatment I'm receiving is fortnightly chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which have worked amazingly. Recently, I have been unwell from where my adrenal gland has stopped producing cortisol, a side effect of the immunotherapy, so I'm now on regular steroids to give me back the much needed hormone. This has made me put on lots of weight and I feel very unfit so I decided I needed to do something about it! I needed to start getting healthy and to get some exercise, get some motivation and help myself.

So... I decided to do the moonwalk in 2020, however as most things, it was cancelled due to covid-19. So I really knew I needed something else to push me. The moonwalk is back on next year, May 2022, but I needed something to motivate me in 2021!

Fortunately for me, I heard about team Phoenix from one of my lovely tits (Titastic is my support group) who had joined team Phoenix previously! So now I find myself training for a Triathlon! Who'd have thought it!? I'm not a strong swimmer, had speed for running (at school) but no stamina, and I haven't properly ridden a bike in my adult years!

So, here is the begging part... I am asking you to dig deep into your pockets to sponsor me please. Any amount is gratefully received.

Please help me, to help Team Phoenix which will allow more crazy women to do the same thing next year! Thank you in advance for your generosity, it means a lot! My cancer treatment is ongoing, I won't get better and but hopefully, I will be living with cancer for a long time to come. I just want other women to know that there is life after a cancer diagnosis. Thank you so very much. Xxx

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