In August 2010 , I was happily married to the man who taught me to laugh and enjoy life.
We had two gorgeous children ( who will both probably cringe at that description !) Jack then 16 and Kirsty age 10.
We were living on the promenade in Peel in a home we loved and I was getting to grips with a new challenge in my career as the dual diagnosis specialist nurse in the Drug and Alcohol Team.

Life was good.

One ordinary morning , in the shower , I felt a lump behind my left nipple. I told myself this could not be happening to me.
This was not my story...I was the farmers daughter as strong as an ox, no , ignore it, this was not part of my story. I would go to work as normal.
This was some sort of weird waking dream.
But, as I walked through the hall, on the way out, I picked up the phone and dialled theGP surgery.
The receptionist answered.
It felt otherworldly as I told her my experience in the last 20 minutes, she was amazing- an appt was made for that afternoon with the recently appointed ( and first) female GP in the practice.

I went to work and pretended to myself nothing had happened.

It's hard to put into words how things unfolded over the following years , I have always striven to have positive can do attitude, but every step of the way it seemed there were problems, unexpected complications and alot of the time I could not see an end to it all.

The love and unfailing support of some very special people kept me going, as did wanting to show the children that whatever our circumstances we have choices and life goes on and though adversity can and does break us down sometimes- we can come back and recover and even be better people than we were before ...well I hope that's the case anyway !

Everyone's experience of cancer treatment is unique to them  , there are so many different combinations of treatments just for breast cancer,  just as there are many different types of breast cancer- it's like you enter a scary world where everything is in a different language and most of what is said goes over your head anyway .





More another day ......

 SO - an update -

I was training , getting fit and felt confident about my trek to Nepal in April 2017. Then whilst out training with one of my walking partners Bernie on 14th February, I slipped and fell in an inaccessible spot by the coast near Peel. Helped by Bernie I made it back to the main path to Corrins Folly , where Bernie called for help as I could go no further. A paramedic travelled up to where we were with the Coastguards landrover and I was transported down to the quayside then on to Nobles in an ambulance. Several hours later it was confirmed that I had broken my ankle, I was devastated, as it meant I would miss a weeks holiday in Cyrpus later that month and most importantly I would not be fit to walk in April.

Initially I was immediately planning another Trek for later in the year, however following advice from the Orthopaedic Consultant and my Physio , I accepted the advice that I should not plan any major challenges for 12 months after the injury. I am currently waiting for a bone density scan, its possible my cancer treatment may have affected the strength of my bones, so we will see...I will 

Either way , I want to thank everyone who has donated to this page and to help me honour the memory of my friend Kate by supporting the Isle of Man Breastcare, who helped us both as we journeyed through our cancer treatment.

And please be assured that once I am back to full fitness I will be planning another challenge and will post details on here as soon as it is confirmed :) !

To be continued.....

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