I am swimming Coniston in the Lake District - 5.25 miles - to raise money for Lobular Breast Cancer UK.

Seven years ago almost to the day, I heard the words, “you have breast cancer.”

It was shocking and frightening – a moment that turns your world upside down.

My diagnosis was Stage 3 pleomorphic Lobular Breast Cancer: not even my Breast Cancer Specialist could tell me what this meant! At the time Lobular Breast Cancer UK didn't exist and all I could establish was that it's a form of the disease that is often harder to detect, less well understood and too often under-recognised.

Lobular breast cancer makes up around 15% of cases, but it rarely forms a lump and can be difficult to see on scans because of the way it grows.

My breast cancer had spread locally - it was in all 22 of my lymph-nodes and that was terrifying. So often Lobular Breast Cancer is detected late - as mine was - because of the way it presents and this means a poorer prognosis.

I’m now a Trustee of Lobular Breast Cancer UK, a small patient advocacy charity working to ensure that everyone diagnosed with lobular breast cancer not only lives, but lives well. We are pushing for better awareness, earlier diagnosis, and improved treatment – so people diagnosed today have the information and the community that I didn't have seven years ago.

The Coniston Chill swim is tough - long distance, cold water, and a real test of endurance - but what a beautiful setting and how exciting! This is me living my best life, taking on a challenge that was inconceivable seven years ago. If you're in the throws of diagnosis and treatment please take comfort from my story.

If you can, please donate and support our vital work.

And if you can’t donate, please do something even more important: check your breasts, know your normal, and talk to someone if something doesn’t feel right. It could make all the difference.

Thank you so much for your support 💙