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Many of you will know Natalie was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28. The majority of breast cancer cases are seen in women above 50 years old. However, there are more rare types of breast cancers known as subtypes that generally occur in women below 50 years of age. One such subtype is Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) this being the cancer Natalie had. She was diagnosed with having Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Bi-lateral - showing a higher grade and stage and poor prognosis. She started her Chemotherapy 2 weeks after diagnosis and due to the urgency of treatment she became aware of how serious her type of cancer could be. It wasn’t until her passing that her family started to learn the true nature of this type of breast cancer. Natalie had felt and appeared healthy at the time of diagnosis and with no family history of breast cancer on either side of the gene pool, there appeared to be no genetic link. This leads to the question as to how and why she had developed this type of breast cancer.

TNBC is negative for the oestrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Therefore, TNBC’s do not respond to hormonal therapies such as tamoxifen, or targeted drugs like Herceptin. TNBC is an extremely aggressive form of the disease with a higher risk of early recurrence and death. Unfortunately due to these factors TNBC remains a huge clinical challenge in regards to treatment options - which currently prove limited.

However, with the help of funding, charities such as Breakthrough Breast Cancer can bring about change to the lives of many women (and men) suffering from rarer forms of breast cancer. Research is at the heart of everything Breakthrough Breast Cancer does. They fund 25% of all breast cancer research in the UK, much of which takes place in their own Research Centre, which opened in 1999. Their work centres on four key areas: Prevention, Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment. By finding the causes, they will know how to prevent the disease; by promoting early detection, more women will recognise the signs and symptoms of breast cancer; by finding ways to make the diagnosis of breast cancer more accurate, more women will receive precise treatments; and by discovering new and better treatments and improving health services, women will receive effective, guaranteed treatments and care. Breakthrough has a research centre within Kings College London, situated in Guys Hospital where their work there focuses on understanding triple negative breast cancer. Carefully conducted clinical trials are also being carried to help both the researchers and TNBC patients find advances in all cancer care areas. Their Annual budget is: £873,279.

This is where we as fundraisers can make a difference while having fun and a memorable night. On the 26th of July we will be hosting a school reunion for the former pupils of Little Heath School (Classes 98&99) at Bridges Club in Caversham, Reading.
Natalie was a pupil at Little Heath during these years and we believe this reunion presents a fantastic opportunity to celebrate her life, raise awareness of the disease and raise some money!!

So I urge everyone invited, to try and make a difference in some way. We all have different circumstances and resources but we all share the importance of health. We simply ask that you share the details of the event with your friends and help in any way you can.
On the 26th of July we want everyone to feel as if they were involved with something that mattered and really HELPED! If you are unable to attend the reunion but, still wish to donate then we thank you greatly.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.