Hello friends, family and everyone else who finds themselves reading about my breast cancer journey....

Well as many of you know, 2025 has been more than a little challenging for me. In fact, the sh*t hit the fan on multiple occasions, and in this analogy, I am perpetually 'the fan' 🤦🏻‍♀️

After almost 4 years stable on my first line treatment, I think those closest to me, and I, forgot that I actually had cancer. There's a fragile peace and confidence that you acquire the longer your scans remain stable. Rewind to November 2024 when scans started to be less black and white, and my cancer became active again.

I never saw myself needing a page like this, and it's most definitely out of my comfort zone asking for money. But, I have two very important reasons to try and live as long as possible for (Sophie and Kitty). And this is most definitely not the first time that cancer has pushed me outside of my comfort zone.

So here I am.... 41, single parent to two beautiful daughters (7 and 9), remaining optimistic about my future, but realistic that the next steps likely sit outside of our wonderful NHS.

My parents are doing everything they can to support these changes financially as my private appointments, testing, supplements and mental wellbeing sessions are expensive, having already run into thousands of pounds. I cannot imagine how I would have coped without their support.

My family and I will move mountains to meet the expenses involved in getting to the treatment providers, but paying for the actual treatments which are roughly £10,000.00 a time is simply out of reach without going into serious debt.

That’s why I’m reluctantly turning to ‘the world’ for help as I want to live as long as possible and be there for my girls as they grow up.

Thanks for reading so far! Thank you for sharing my page and/or donating.

Let's manifest some good health and stable scans in my future 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Sian xx

A bit more about my breast cancer journey....

My crash into the world of cancer started in 2019 after finding a small area of skin on my left breast that looked different, the tiniest of dimples. There was no lump or anything very significant. For a few months I put it down to 'normal' changes associated with breast feeding.

A mammogram, ultrasound scan and biopsy later, I was diagnosed with stage 1 hormone receptor positive invasive ductal carcinoma. I'd just turned 35 and was a fit and healthy mum to a 2.5 yr old and 7 month old!

I had neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (chemo before surgery) as the expectation was that the tumour would shrink radically and then I'd have a lumpectomy. The chemo was sadly not terribly effective, but showed that the tumour was much bigger than we initially thought.

I had a DIEP flap operation lasting 16 hours, which involved a left side mastectomy, with a new breast constructed from my belly fat (thank you chemo and steroids for the weight gain!). The recovery was 3 months followed by radiotherapy and 10 years taking a hormone suppression drug, putting me instantly into menopause.

To be honest, despite all of this, I was young (ish 😅) and healthy and I felt invincible! I would have the treatment and that would be that, end of the story.

Seven months after completing treatment, in November 2020, I started to feel a pain in my sternum. Two months and many scans later, I received the terrifying news that the cancer had spread to my bones and was now incurable - Stage 4 Cancer!!

Secondary Breast Cancer

Although stage 4 cancer is said to be incurable, I still felt pretty positive. Cancer research and treatments were available and improving all of the time. I elected to have my ovaries removed, instead of monthly injections to suppress them. The drug Ribociclib worked well and kept my scans stable. I stayed on this drug for 4 years in combination with a hormone targeting drug, Letrozole.

Life continued and although there were side effects, I’m pretty good at normalising any situation. Frequent hospital appointments, blood tests and monitoring, pills, aches and pains, fatigue and every darned thing that comes with cancer.

In November 2024 I was mis-diagnosed with colon cancer. It was picked up on a routine monitoring scan. I was immediately taken off all cancer treatment as the expectation was that i'd need prompt colon surgery and my body had to get firing on all cylinders (and not be immunosuppressed). During a colonoscopy I was told that in fact there was no colon cancer. Utter relief, but a sudden sense of urgency to get back on my anti cancer medication (I was taking no medication for over a month!).

Over the next few months I had an 'unclear' scan, suggesting that my cancer might be 'waking up', I became so anaemic that I required two blood transfusions, and on my next scan I was devastating to find out that there were now 5 small spots of cancer in my liver. As of right now, I'm awaiting results of a brain MRI, with suspected breast cancer in my brain.

I've had some good treatments over the past 5 years on the NHS but now my cancer has spread, my options are limited and will involve more high dose chemotherapy. This is so destructive to the body and while it may stabilise my tumours for a while, it will take its toll on my ability to fight cancer in the long term, causing increased inflammation and lower haemoglobin resulting in pain, joint aching and fatigue. It’s a far cry from the immunotherapies that I could access privately.

After a lot of research and professional help, I’m now looking at treatments that are not available on the NHS but that are working all over the world for cancer patients who can afford them. New treatments are extending length and quality of life and in this fast developing field. Many believe that it won’t be too long before stage 4 cancer becomes a manageable disease. I want to be around when this happens!

This roller coaster of health shocks, treatments and their side effects as well as confronting your own mortality, and as a single parent, does take its toll. The future with only the NHS treatments looks pretty grim. I’m not ready to give up on myself, or my girls, especially when there are recognised life-giving treatment options out there.

Any money that you feel able to donate will go directly through this funding page to ‘Yes to Life’, a registered charity. Yes to Life will then pay for treatments directly to the clinic where I receive medical treatment. Nothing ever hits my bank account and no money donated will ever be spent on hotels, food or travel expenses. In the event that I don't use all of the money donated, it is passed onto others in a similar situation to me.

So I’m turning to anyone who is reading this to ask for a donation however small. Alternatively you may be willing to donate some or all of the proceeds of a fundraiser? Or organise one; a quiz, or a sponsored walk or bike ride. Anything that you enjoy that could raise some money.

If you are a company or business that donates to charity, you might consider donating to my cause through the charity Yes to Life. Or perhaps your employer can match fund donations for a specific fundraising event?

You can see more about my life on my Instagram page here.

I’ll update this page as soon as I know the results of my scan.

With love and a huge thanks to all who have read this.

Sian xxx