This is my story. 💕

And just like that my life changed forever!

This year 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of me being cancer free! Wow yes 10 years ago on 10th January 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer the dreaded C word!

The day my world fell apart! A day that I can’t really remember but also a day I will never ever forget also known as the worst day of my life. I will never be able to describe how I felt that day and the days after that. My heart was broken. I was scared. Sitting in a consulting room absolutely terrified waiting for the results praying for it to be good news however it wasn’t to be i was diagnosed with breast cancer grade 2 carcinoma which had also spread to my lymph nodes, I have never been so scared or felt totally lost in my entire life. A million questions were going through my mind, why me being the main one? I was young 39/40, healthy and never been a smoker! However cancer takes no prisoners! I cried as soon as the words came out the surgeons mouth and all the way home, infact I didn’t stop crying for the next week. I was struggling to see past tomorrow my life had changed instantly! It had been turned upside down. My first step was to tell my family and friends I thought being told I had cancer was the worst day of my life how wrong was I! Telling my two boys John and Josh was by far the worst day I know they had lots of questions but didnt want to ask me and I wanted to shield them from this as much as possible but one question Josh did ask me, are you going to die ? How could I answer that truthfully when I didn’t know myself what I did know was that I was giving this my best shot throwing everything I had at it and fighting like hell so obviously I answered most definitely not!! And that’s exactly what I did fought like hell!. My days were filled with hospital appointments and there was so many decisions to be made. I had to make some of the hardest decisions of my life.

My friends well I have the best friends in the whole wide world who checked up on me on a daily basis and give me the warmest hugs this was new to them too and a total shock to our friendship group but they never stopped showing me constant support and still do to this day. I have a great support network I am very lucky. Next step was to get booked in at the QE to remove this unwanted poison from my body and a lymph node removal followed by a treatment plan 5 months of gruelling chemotherapy at South Tyneside Hospital and when I say gruelling I mean it, the strongest chemotherapy drug ever invented for breast cancer was being flushed through my body making me feel like a zombie at the best of times. I was struggling. The chemotherapy was shutting down every organ in my body I was tired but I wasnt giving up. My next treatment was an adjuvant radiation course every day for 6 weeks at the Freemans. Every single oncologist, doctor and nurse especially the breast care specialists at all 3 hospitals were totally amazing putting up with me for starters, and giving me all the advice and help I needed when I was breaking down and that was just about every day, all the appointments and telephone conversations we had, they truly are worth their weight in gold! I am forever grateful.

I am now embracing life as a breast cancer survivor (that’s me I am so proud to say this).

So 10 years later and I am the fittest and healthiest I have ever been and what better way to say thankyou to all of them people and to raise some money for an amazing charity than to run the GNR! Running with me is the man who was by my side the entire time, my husband my love my everything my Scott I would have never got through it all without him, his love day after day through all the tears he is my rock! Those wedding vows in sickness and in health have been truly put to the test. Also running with us is our two boys John and Josh and his girlfriend Kacey.

We are running for a charity called Breast Cancer Now the research and support charity who focus on four key areas of research: risk and prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatment and secondary breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Now supports people through all parts of their diagnosis and treatment. It has a helpline people can ring, to speak to a trained nurse. Someone Like Me supports people with emotional and psychological worries, and its Moving Forward course helps people look to the future.

They're all so important, so people don't need to feel alone, scared, or lost, like I did. But to keep them going we need your support. Any gift you give could make a big difference to someone affected by breast cancer, who might feel overwhelmed or alone.

Thankyou again to all those who helped me during those very exhausting and emotional 18 months.

Words will never be enough.

Never give up.

Much love ❤️

Julie