Im doing a ball for on 03/10/2026 to raise money for primrose, however so many people have asked how they can donate money if they can’t make that date so I’ve created this

My reason :

On July 4th 2023 I was told- you have breast cancer. Just like that. I never thought it would happen to me.

It was always going to be someone else. I just burst into tears, like ugly crying tears,I had three kids one was only 2. How were they going to cope without me. When it’s never going to happen to you, you forget about the amazing treatment out there because you haven’t needed to look into it.

I drove to my sisters to do some more crying and and get some advice as she used to be a nurse in the Bedford Primrose unit where I received the majority of my treatment. Emma then came over, with two bottles of wine because we all know savignon helps everything right?

For that first week, I could have died. I couldn’t sleep, reply to texts or eat (very unusual I know). Apparently I’m THE only person who hasn’t gone on off food throughout the whole of my treatment. Of course I wouldn’t ever get that side effect and use this process to drop those extra pounds I keep saying are “because I’ve not long had a baby”.

I had my surgery at Kettering and had the most amazing doctor there who made me and Jenna laugh at every appointment, and not many people can manage that! I had my surgery there and received the worst news that I needed chemotherapy. More ugly crying occurred and I was devastated I was going to loose the thick luscious fringe I had been so carefully perfecting for 25 years. I did and my mother in law had the sad job of shaving that off as the kids slept.

It was at this point I decided to move my treatment to Bedford hospital primrose unit. I had friends who were there having treatment, Jenna worked in the hospital and it just made sense.

Primrose were amazing. From the receptionist to the consultants who have looked after me, and still are now., you don’t know how grateful I am. When you walk into the chemo suite you would never think it’s where life saving treatments occurred. The nurses are fabulous and so full of life and everyone’s laughing.

I lost my hair in November 2023 and looked exactly the same as my brother, just with a bit of rounder face from all the steroids. Nellie is still convinced to this day that the elf shaved it off during the night, the innocence that got me through my treatment and got me up each day. Oh and to drive molly to her mates house and ted to adreneline alley. Life didn’t stop for chemo let me tell all the mums out there! We had a bit of a cry in Nando’s when me and their dad broke the news mum needed it, but the meals still got eaten and they even wanted dessert. (Quickly forgotten)

This unit is not only close to my heart but my beautiful nans. When diagnosed the first thing she said was “I wish I had it and not you.” Unfortunately she got her wish, and she got it too a year later. I think she was hoping for the endless free shopping from Waitrose mum would deliver weekly! (Thanks mum. As soon as you would leave I would FaceTime Jenna to show her what “my mum” had brought today.) sadly last week we lost Nan too.

The primrose unit taught me one thing. Always be kind. The kindest people go there to do voluntary hand massages for people in treatment, drop goody bags off for patients, they have volunteers who drive people to Addenbrooks for radiotherapy and sit there for hours on end, because they are kind. The list of kindness is endless, and now I feel like I’m in a place in my life to return some kindness and throw a party/ball to raise money for this wonderful unit. I thought about running a marathon (joke) but thought a big party/ball was much more in keeping with Kate’s life