October is breast cancer awareness month and also marks some personal cancer anniversaries… cancerversaries to anyone who’s been there.

October 2024 will mark 5 years since I started chemotherapy for breast cancer and 1 year since my friend Jo started hers. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but it also seems to fly when you’re going through hell! Breast cancer will affect 1 in 8 women in the UK so we want to do something to raise awareness and raise money for an excellent cancer cause.

We will be completing virtual triathlons – walking, swimming and cycling throughout the month. I have previously done 150 miles in October 2020 and then 200 miles in October 2022 but this year I’m going all out and plan to do 300 miles throughout October and Jo will be doing 100 miles (which is no mean feat given she hasn’t even finished treatment yet). My husband will be doing 150 miles and Jo's son Owen plans to do a whopping 400 miles!

Our brilliant local gym, BigBox, are supporting us in all sorts of ways as we will be covering lots of miles in the pool and on the bikes and treadmills. We’re planning an open weekend on the 5th and 6th October for people to come and get involved in the journey so, if you’re local, you could come along and do some miles too!

We will be raising money to support the hospitals where we both had our life-saving treatment – Huddersfield and Calderdale. We both feel incredibly fortunate to live where we do and to be looked after by the oncology and breast cancer departments of these hospitals. The staff there are incredible and cared for us both with such empathy and kindness. They have saved our lives and we will be forever grateful to them. They are still there for me, even four years after I finished my treatment and they never make me feel silly when I want something checked.

We would be hugely grateful for any contribution from our friends, families and neighbours – every penny helps and will go towards amazing, life-saving treatment and charitable support for people going through difficult times.

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