Story
Welcome to my fundraising page for CoppaFeel! This September I will set out on a challenging, extraordinary and life-changing trek, all in the name of checking chests! Along with Gi Fletcher and some other famous faces, I will be taking on the a 5 day trek across mountainous terrain in the French Alps, in a bid to raise funds and awareness towards CoppaFeel's life-saving mission.
Having had two different Breast Cancer diagnosis's the first DCIS in 2014 and then Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) in 2020 - diagnosed Friday 13th March (unlucky for some, but so lucky for me as it was found before C-19 lockdown 10 days later). To say it has been an eventful few years is an understatement, I am forever grateful to our amazing NHS and all those amazing scientists, researchers and medical professionals who without, I certainly wouldn't be here today!
Triple Negative Breast Cancer is a rarer form of breast cancer (around 15% of breast cancer patients receive this diagnosis) the options and treatments available are a very limited. My cancer was aggressive and due to the speed in which my cancer was growing I was fortunate enough to have immediate surgery (when many people due to lockdown sadly had to wait). My surgery was quickly followed by 6 months of intensive treatment, chemotherapy and triple dose radiotherapy. All of this at a time when the world was on it's head, on the bright side, no one really had to witness my hair loss, the throwing up and all the other delights that chemo presents, but it was also hard for some as they weren't able to support me in a way they wanted to - there was no hand holding, no hugs and no popping in for a cuppa.
During my treatment I tested positive for BRCA II Gene (oh the joy), which meant there was an 85% chance of me getting cancer again - either breast or ovarian, so a plan was made to reduce this risk with a second mastectomy and removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes (to be fair I no longer required the later two), I am really pleased to say I have had these surgeries this year.
My body may well look like a surgeons sketch pad, but I am so grateful to be here and immensely happy that this huge weight that has been hanging over me (and my family) for the last 3 years has been lifted.
Now it is time to give back and help others, so any donation you can spare, I appreciate times are really tough right now, but as little as 50 pence will make such a difference. One more thing …. PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHEST.
Thanks so much for your donation & support. To find out more about CoppaFeel! head to www.coppafeel.org.