Little Lor's Big Mission
Laura Simone Owens is raising money for Breast Cancer Care
Participants: Carley Sinclair
Story
Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page, you are already a special person! My friend Carley & I will be doing this challenge together. We are both allergic to the gym so when I say this is a big deal for us, it really is! We are paying for travel costs so all money raised will go straight to the charity so please dig deep & help us achieve our ambitious total of £8k!
At 31, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. If you have come here from my Facebook page, you probably already know some of my story (if not, read on). So many of us are affected by cancer and it's about time something changed for the better. Progress has been made in 30 years but more money is needed into pioneering new research to find the cause & cure for all types of cancer & to improve existing care.
I am proud to be able to give back to Breast Cancer Care, the charity who gave me hope and access to vital support and information when I was in a dark place. I attended a Breast Cancer Care Younger Women's Forum, a totally free, 2 day event which addresses some of the specific issues facing younger women with this disease, including loss of fertility, self image and early menopause. I made some great friends there who continue to help each other and I'm doing this trek to ensure other women (and men) can experience the same level of support.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support xxx
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Here's a couple of my Facebook updates to explain why I'm doing this:----------------------------------------------------------------
"Here's a little (big) update for everyone who has asked how I'm doing, sent me lovely messages & kept me in their thoughts over the past few months because I owe it to you...
I made the decision to stop my chemo half way through because I got a blood clot in my arm, which I do daily injections for until it buggers off (the risks of more clots outweighed the benefits of the chemo).
That was nearly 2 months ago so I've been feeling a lot better recently, although I still get quite tired after obsessive reading of medical journals till 5am, 4 surgeries, countless hospital visits and IVF treatment to preserve my fertility! I've spent a fair bit of time in the bathroom magnifying mirror willing my hair to grow back but on the plus side I've been lucky to hold on to most of my eyelashes ;-)
I've just started hormone treatment for 5 years which involves a humongous monthly injection plus daily tablets which will put me into instant menopause. So, if you bump into me in the street and I bark/scream/swear at you whilst sweating profusely and moaning about aches and pains, please ignore me.
I generally feel fine and am well looked after by the AMAZING people around me. I sometimes have bad days when I feel down about not having kids, about the weight I've put on, the strangeness of my reconstructed, nippleless right mammary and the length of time it takes for chemo hair to grow back but I know I'll get back to normal eventually.
I've had a lot of comments about how brave & strong I've been but I'm really only the same as anyone else in this situation. I have no choice but to get on with whatever gets thrown at me and do my best to stay happy along the way. I'm lucky to have had a lot of free treatment on the NHS (which I intend to do some serious fundraising to try to make up for) and things can ALWAYS be worse! If little kids can get through gruelling leukemia treatment then this is a breeze and that thought is what has got me through this.
What I'm dealing with doesn't make anyone else's problems any less important but it does put things in perspective. It's not worth stressing over the little things, it's always worth spending more time with family & friends and it's definately worth thinking twice about what you put in and on your body because your health is precious. Most of us take it for granted until it's taken away.
Anyway, enough of me. Just wanted to fill you in on my progress and wish you all the most amazing Christmas and New Year. Lots of love, Lauralongstocking xxxx"
I generally feel fine and am well looked after by the AMAZING people around me. I sometimes have bad days when I feel down about not having kids, about the weight I've put on, the strangeness of my reconstructed, nippleless right mammary and the length of time it takes for chemo hair to grow back but I know I'll get back to normal eventually.
I've had a lot of comments about how brave & strong I've been but I'm really only the same as anyone else in this situation. I have no choice but to get on with whatever gets thrown at me and do my best to stay happy along the way. I'm lucky to have had a lot of free treatment on the NHS (which I intend to do some serious fundraising to try to make up for) and things can ALWAYS be worse! If little kids can get through gruelling leukemia treatment then this is a breeze and that thought is what has got me through this.
What I'm dealing with doesn't make anyone else's problems any less important but it does put things in perspective. It's not worth stressing over the little things, it's always worth spending more time with family & friends and it's definately worth thinking twice about what you put in and on your body because your health is precious. Most of us take it for granted until it's taken away.
Anyway, enough of me. Just wanted to fill you in on my progress and wish you all the most amazing Christmas and New Year. Lots of love, Lauralongstocking xxxx"
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"Looking back, I've had a pretty exciting life. I travelled the world as cabin crew. Been scuba diving, skydiving, skiing, sailing, abseiling, horse riding, climbed waterfalls & mountains & been on the highest roller coasters in the world! Lived in Ibiza, Marbella, Manchester, Leeds & Liverpool. Holidayed in Thailand, Mallorca, Barbados, London, Las Vegas & skied all over Europe. Been to incredible music festivals & concerts. Was lucky enough to go to one of the best schools in England & work in some of the top clubs in the World. (Also worked in a carrot factory once!). Been blond, dark, red, skinhead & completely bald! Have tried, failed & succeeded at a fair few businesses. Most importantly, I’ve met, loved & lost some amazing people.
Having just looked back through my photos I’ve only just realized how lucky I’ve been in this life, how much I love my Mummy & how much she has sacrificed for me. I’ve had two life threatening conditions in the last year & it’s given me a unique, new perspective. Some people don’t get the opportunity to finish their journey & I won’t waste the second chance I’ve been given.
My best friends & I have all had a pretty difficult year but we’ve just celebrated the arrival of a beautiful, healthy new addition in the form of baby Darcie & things are starting to look up.
This year my goals are to become fluent in Spanish, read more, learn yoga, eat healthily, stick to juicing, drink less alcohol, be really successful in business (so Lynne can quit M&S!) and raise money for research into finding better treatments for cancer.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s only you who can change your life, just take the first step, even if you’re scared. YOU WERE MEANT FOR AMAZING THINGS."
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