In 2016, at the age of 29 I was diagnosed with the rarest and most aggressive type of breast cancer - inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). This was such a shock to me and completely changed my life. I went through aggressive chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. With the support of fantastic nurses, family and friends I made it through the year of hell with a smile on my face (most of the time). The nurses at Burton hospital have been absolutely fantastic and so encouraging, always making me smile even when I felt like hiding and crying. I would love to be able to thank those people with a gift to the chemotherapy unit and the breast care unit, and also by donations to 3 charities that were a great support to me through the year.
The first of these is the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Network - IBC is rare (only 1% of all breast cancers) and because of this there is barely any research into it, even from breast cancer charities. The IBC Network helps to fund vital research into IBC and raise awareness as it is so important that it is dealt with urgently, due to it's aggressive nature. The second charity is The Willow Foundation. When I got diagnosed I had to cancel a holiday that I had booked as chemotherapy needed to start straight away. Willow provide short breaks for young people undergoing treatment for serious conditions – so I was eligible. They sent me and Gavin away to a log cabin in the forest for 4 nights, with our own hot tub. It was just what was needed at the time (between surgery and radiotherapy) to relax and take my mind off cancer and have a hospital-free week. The third charity is Team Verrico and they help people with rare diseases (again, I was eligible). They paid for me to have a second opinion from an specialist oncologist at Harley Street, and they also paid for me to have some specialist counselling to help me deal with the emotions of what was happening to me, which has been invaluable as I have really been suffering with anxiety.