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The Hammer Timers are joining Cancer Research UK's Race for Life for the 5th year. Everyone in the team has been affected by cancer either directly or indirectly. So, we are all passionate about walking, jogging or running 5K or 10K to raise as much money as possible to show cancer IT'S HAMMER TIME!

TEAM LEADER CAROL'S STORY 

Hi! My name is Carol and I am a 40-something who is recovering from breast cancer.  I found out in February 2015 that the women in my family carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and 5 months later I noticed the skin on my left breast was looking like orange peel.  Knowing I was at high risk of cancer I called my GP straight away and 2 weeks later a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy led to a diagnosis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer and a 6.5 cm tumor.

IBC is a very rare and aggressive type of cancer - less 0.02% of breast cancers diagnosed - with only 50% of stage 3 cancer patients surviving more than 5 years as it is more likely to come back after treatment than most other types of breast cancer. As you can tell, the outlook is generally not as good as for other breast cancer patients.

I have been through tuff chemotherapy,  double mastectomy with 9 lymph nodes removed,  preventative oopherectomy and breath-hold radiotherapy as my treatment.  The long awaited reconstruction is planned for September 2017 to put me back together again.  Tamoxifen was a train crash of side effects, so Letrozol is the preventative drug keeping me as safe as possible for the next 5+ years with its gifts of hot flushes, aching joints and fatigue - and sometimes none of them :o) 

Thanks to my overall great health, relatively young age, good fitness level and diet, positive mental attitude, and support of my  fabulous family, friends, colleagues and my amazing medical team, I have beat cancer. Now I take life one glorious day at a time. 

My little sister Lulu was not as fortunate.  Lulu was diagnosed with Primary Peritoneal Cancer, a rare form of ovarian cancer, in December 2012.  She went through many rounds of treatments and several drugs trials which have been developed with support from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) including Olaparib, a targeted treatment aimed at women with a BRCA gene-mutation who have breast or ovarian cancer. 

Lulu lived through her treatment with positivity, tenacity, bravery and baking.  Then, last June, we lost Lulu at the tender age of 37. 

Lulu had made it her mission to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research with a  bucket list target of raising £100K+ for cancer charities.  As of writing this story, the fund raising Lulu started, with amazing and creative fund raising activities by family and friends has reached £ 97,543.  I plan to continue this mission in her honour for as long as I can. 

All the money you donate to our Race for Life will add to the
fantastic total. The funds go to the 5 charities Lulu chose : The Eve Appeal, Breast Cancer Now, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK and the Rennie Grove Hospice.  See our team total here:  https://www.justgiving.com/teams/LouiseWissonBlog 

Please join the fight by digging deep and sponsoring us - it's quick, easy and totally secure.

Events like this are vital in funding Cancer Research UK's life-saving work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. By sponsoring us, we can unite and create an army that cancer can't ignore. We beat cancer sooner.

REMEMBER TO GIFT AID IT

If you're a UK taxpayer, please remember to tick the Gift Aid box as this will increase your donation by at least 25% at no extra cost to you.

Sponsor us now, and help us show cancer that hell hath no fury like a woman in pink !