My Story

Hello, my name is Anna. I am 51 years old. I have a beautiful 11 year old daughter and am married to an amazing man called Bill. So far, so lucky! But on Friday 21st July 2017, I was given the devastating news that I have breast cancer. I’m not ready to die yet. I have so much to live for. I want to be around for my daughter, to see her grow and blossom, and perhaps one day to be a grandmother to her children. I want more time with my lovely man and to have the chance to grow old disgracefully with him. There is so much that I want to learn so that I can help others. So I am appealing to you, dear friends and family to help fund my treatment so that I can heal and get on with living.

My breast lump turned out to be invasive lobular carcinoma, which is oestrogen dependent. The standard treatment for this is surgery to remove the lump and surrounding tissue, followed by radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone suppression therapy. Because of the size of my tumour, I would be looking at a full mastectomy and removal of the lymph ducts under my arms. The prospect of going through this kind of treatment regime left me reeling in shock and fear, when I thought about the trauma and sickness it would cause my body in order to kill the cancer.

It is really important to me to be able to function fully as a Mum to my daughter while I am healing this condition.

So I began to look at alternatives to the standard treatment. My body has been through so much in the last 11 years (more of that later), I could not face the idea of more aggressive treatment. Through my research, I found information about effective treatments that could help me heal without surgery and chemotherapy, that would not only avoid the horrible side effects of chemo, but would leave me in better health than ever before. I began to hear more and more stories from people who have been written off by the medical establishment, but have healed beautifully through changing their diet and lifestyle, and using other alternative therapies for healing. I see this as a two year plan to regain my health. The money I am asking for will help me to continue my treatments over this time, to make sure that my cancer has really gone for good.

I have always felt it important to have a natural and healthy diet and lifestyle. I eat only organic home-cooked foods with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. I am particular to use only organic toiletries and eco-friendly household products. I do not smoke, drink very little alcohol and there is no history of cancer in my family. So I was really shocked to find that I have a cancerous tumour.

Over the last 11 years, I have had a series of traumatic events which have put a great deal of shock and stress on my body and I believe that cumulatively, they have damaged my immune system, allowing the tumour to grow.

The first of these was an emergency C-section to give birth to my daughter. Because of my naturally low blood pressure, the epidural for the operation sent me into shock. My heart stopped and I technically died on the operating table and had to be resuscitated.

When my daughter was two and a half, I became pregnant again and both Bill and I were overjoyed at the prospect of having another child. Then it turned out to be twins – even more joy! But sadly I lost a twin at 10½ weeks. I carried Hector to 22 weeks and then he too died. I haemorrhaged very badly when he was born and almost lost my life again. The effects of this both in physical and emotional terms were devastating to me. I still grieve for the loss of my babies, especially Hector who looked so beautiful and so perfect.

My health deteriorated badly after this sad and traumatic event. It triggered my hip dysplasia into crippling arthritis and within a year, I could barely walk and needed a hip replacement. The first operation went well and I recovered and had some years of improved mobility. However, within five years, my other hip deteriorated and I had a second hip replacement in December 2015. Unfortunately, the second operation did not go well. It was carried out by an inexperienced registrar who made a very poor job of the operation and now, almost two years later, I have not fully recovered and have been in a great deal of pain ever since.

So, I hope you will understand why I feel that having more surgery and medical intervention is not the path for me. My body has been through so much. I need to treat it gently now, to nourish myself with good healing foods and to take tried and tested and well researched treatments that will help boost my immune system, without the devastating side-effects of chemotherapy

It is all out there, but it costs a lot of money and that is why I am appealing for funds to help me pay for the therapies, herbs and supplements that will help me to get through this.

I have started writing a blog, to tell the story of my healing. I hope it will inspire others who are facing a cancer diagnosis or who are supporting loved ones with cancer. My blog can be found here:-

https://annabromley.wordpress.com/blog/