Back in November of 2022, my mum found out that her breast cancer had come back from remission. What had been an awful but "finished"(as much as cancer ever is finished) chapter in our lives was now back - and requiring far more aggressive treatment than before..

A lot of my mums' life has had to change since then: multiple types of chemo treatments and the side effects that come with that, reducing and eventually stopping working despite being a career woman her entire life (I remember specifically realizing that as mum took a leave of absence for her first batch of treatment, it was going to be the longest she'd taken off work since she took maternity leave for me, 29 years before) as well as huge changes to her lifestyle, from what she ate, to how much she can travel, to the amount of things she could physically do in a day. She even had to essentially give up drinking, a huge sacrifice for the woman who taught me how to do my first tequila slammer!

While I have done my best to be there for mum throughout this ordeal, and her partner James has been absolutely heroic for her - we did not (and in some ways, could not) know what she is going through, both in the practical terms of what it is to be treated for cancer, but also what it feels like to go through all this.

Luckily, Mum found Future Dreams, a charity whose mission is that no one should have to face breast cancer alone or without hope. They fund vital secondary breast cancer research and promote breast health awareness, as well as providing support groups & resources.

In this group, my mum has found community with people who know what it is like to be where she is, practical and useful advice for dealing with the realities of her condition, as well as a book club, knitting circle and choir - they do a fab Christmas show.

Future Dreams have been an amazing support both directly to my mum and to our family as well, and I cannot thank them enough for that...

BUT THAT WON'T STOP ME TRYING

On Saturday the 5th of October, my mum, myself and 4 close loved ones are doing the Future Dreams South Downs Challenge - we will walk 21km over the South Downs, crossing the cliff tops of the Seven Sisters and finishing at Beachy Head. We'll be posting updates throughout, where I am sure we will all look glamorous in the glorious British October weather.

So please, make this physical challenge that I have definitely been consistently training for worth it and donate - Future Dreams relies on the generosity of people like you so that they can continue to offer the critical services that they do, & the research they fund is vital to developing new treatments to help people like my mum. We would greatly appreciate whatever you can spare.