💕 Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women with around 55,000 new cases diagnosed in the UK every year. Of course, none of these women expect to be one of the 55,000, cancer is always something that happens to other people… until it isn’t.

In the summer of 2023, I noticed an unusual bump but initially put it down to inflammation from my sports bra having just completed a 100 mile trek of the South Downs Way. With no improvement after a month or so, I went to the doctor and began, frankly, a month of hell. Examinations, scans, biopsies, tests and more scans which eventually led to a diagnosis of not just one breast cancer but two different types (yes breast cancer comes in different flavours - there isn’t just one sort, who knew?!). Getting two types of cancer at the same time is pretty rare and I had one type in each breast (known as synchronous bilateral breast cancer) and this is even rarer - between 1% and 11% of all breast cancers, depending which statistic you read.

Things move pretty fast once you have been diagnosed and I can’t fault the care and attention provided by the Breast Clinic and Oncology team at Nobles Hospital and my oncologist who oversaw everything from Clatterbridge Hospital in Liverpool. In less than three weeks from initial diagnosis I started an 18 week course of chemotherapy. This course was completed just before Christmas 2023. After a short break from treatment to allow my body to partially recover, I received a bilateral mastectomy in January 2024. The histology completed after the surgery showed a complete response on one side and an excellent response on the other. In other words, no sign of cancer on the right and next to nothing on the left. The chemo had done its job.

As I write this now in February 2024, I am recovering from the surgery and waiting to start a course of radiotherapy which will, hopefully, finish off any remaining rogue cancer cells and lower the risk of the cancer coming back. This will complete my treatment, other than having to have two courses of medication going forward - one type for the next six months and the other for five years.

The Breast Clinic at Nobles Hospital, Isle of Man, is supported by the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group. This charity has raised millions of pounds since it was formed in 2012 and now, as I come to the end of my treatment, I would like to add to those millions in some small way.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love exercise and walking is my favourite way of keeping fit physically and supporting my mental health. Despite the huge effort required, I forced myself to walk nearly every single day throughout my chemo and after surgery. At times, it was an effort to walk a mile and I was certainly a lot slower than normal but anything was better than nothing. I have no doubt that walking helped keep me healthy during chemo and has helped with my overall recovery. I am now keen to get back to my pre-cancer fitness level and with this in mind, have targeted myself to walk 1000 miles before the end of July 2024 (which ties in with the one year anniversary of my diagnosis). Pre-cancer, this target wouldn’t have been much of a challenge to me and I could’ve completed it with ease. But now, I have a body which has been battered and bruised by cancer, chemo, surgery and soon to be radiotherapy, so it will be far more of an effort. Some of the 1000 miles will be day to day walks along the roads and up the hills and peaks of the Isle of Man. Some will be organised events such as part of the Parish Walk (there’s no way I will be able to complete the entire route this year!)

I’m grateful for anything that anyone is able to donate and rest assured, any money donated will be put to good use by the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group to help people who find themselves in the situation that I did. Thank you. xxx

If anyone has a favourite walk that they would like to complete with me (it doesn’t have to be an organised event), just let me know! 💕