The year of 2020, what could be worse, then I found a lump, News years eve the start of the new year celebrations and looking forward to a new year and brighter future.

I had many tests done, as with all tests, you always hope for the best, hoping that the worst will never be the result, this lasted a month. Due to the covid-19 pandemic and its consequential restrictions I was on my own when given the diagnosis results, I was told I had stage 3 grade 3 breast cancer that had spread to the lymph glands.

I was also told that I would also have to have all my future appointments by myself depriving me of much needed emotional support. We had discussed treatment options and I would need chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. In March 2021 I started chemotherapy, it was the worst experience in my life, it was truly awful. It was not long before I started feeling the side effects including the loss of hair, eyebrows, eye lashes, finger and toenails as well as weepy eyes, really dry skin, chemo brain, severe nausea, diarrhoea and unable to walk far due to the pain in my feet. As well as the emotional distress one would go through during such a haunting procedure.

At this moment, the chemo has stopped, this is due to the type of cancer I have which requires a mastectomy, where I will then continue my radiotherapy.

When I started the chemotherapy my breast nurse came down with a bag that had been donated by someone who had gone through a similar journey to me. There was a lot of different things in that bag, much of it made little sense to me at the time. However, as time went on and my symptoms started to appear each of the items in the bag began to make more sense and aid me through my chemotherapy process. This bag made such a big difference to me as I started my journey and this has inspired me to raise money to support others as they start their own difficult journey.

So in October, my friends and family have organised a challenge we are calling tower to tower, where we will walk from Tower Bridge London to the Spinnaker tower in Portsmouth, covering 90 miles in just under 3 days. This is to give back and support the Breast Services for all the help they have given me so far.

Please support us to raise funds to donate 250 comfort bags to the breast’s services at the Queen Alexandra.