Claire (2016/17 Edition) vs Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, for those of you that don't already know. Breast cancer can affect both men and women and so please, please be aware of the symptoms and check yourselves regularly (see here for more info on what to look for - KnowYourLemons.org ).

Back in late 2016 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The wait to see what type (Invasive, Triple Negative, plus DCIS cells FTW!), how many tumours (three, with one being eventually found to be benign thankfully) and my treatment plan (surgery, chemo, radiotherapy) felt like absolute purgatory and I was scared witless. At one point it looked like I had cancer in both breasts; I will spare you the details but the tests to rule it in/out felt pretty brutal at the time.

I remember my surgeon telling me it would be a year of my life that would be disrupted and then I'd be able to get on with things. He was right...and wrong! I have some permanent side-effects which serve as a reminder, though all managed fairly well, but the near-year of treatment itself passed relatively quickly in the grand scheme of things. I met some wonderful people, was able to continue to work when I felt well enough (thanks to the support of my then-manager and amazing team), and discovered that I could have a lot of fun as a 'baldy'. If customer advocacy ever goes...<cough>...t*ts up, then I have a strong career ahead of me as a children's entertainer/human whiteboard ;-)

The purpose of this preamble isn't to bore you with my 'journey' - too many of us are affected by all types of cancer, either directly or indirectly, and my experience is sadly not unique or special. By luck/good fortune/a higher deity...whatever you wish to put it down to...I am still here. People I love dearly and have been blessed to have known, are not and there seems to be little rhyme or reason to that. Life, often, is not fair. The purpose of the preamble is to share how the support I received made a huge difference to my life both during and after treatment, and how that continues to this day. Amazing when you consider that next week will be my last set of scans and my last oncology-related hospital appointment (hopefully!) before being set freeeeeee!

Pivotal to my mental resilience (no mean feat when you look at the proportion of cancer patients/survivors who suffer PTSD as a result of their diagnosis - one Reuters report puts it at 22% of patients) was the fantastic and local-to-me charity My Cancer My Choices . I initially started fundraising for them as it gave me something positive to focus on. My hair started to fall out (thanks, chemo) and so I got sponsored to 'Brave the Shave' and lost the whole lot in a matter of minutes, courtesy of my hairdresser. Thanks to the generosity of people and my employer at the time who match funded the whole lot, I raised over ￡10k...Imagine what I could have raised if I actually did something more dangerous, like leaping out of a plane?! I then went on to become a service-user of the charity after my main treatment.

As anyone with any type of serious medical issue will likely attest, you sort of lose your identity as you go through the medical process. Don't get me wrong, I am really very grateful for the medical expertise I benefited from, but you do end up on a conveyor belt of being told when and where to go. The sheer amount of prodding, poking, squeezing and all manners of things that happen to you, without the courtesy of being bought dinner beforehand, can be quite overwhelming. Imagine then, if you will, turning up at what feels like an oasis of calm and being able to choose complementary therapy treatments alongside (with your doctor's approval) your invasive medical ones, or starting your recovery with the relaxed bliss of the treatments available. For that moment in time you're not having things 'done to you' but you're benefiting from a wonderful oncology-safe aromatherapy massage or having reflexology, or taking part in Yoga or Tai Chi or Mindfulness sessions. It was like taking a deep, satisfying and calming breath. All I had to do was choose what might be beneficial and try it. Fantastic! I felt human again!

I want nothing more than for other cancer patients (not just breast cancer ones) to be able to experience what I was lucky to experience. Bad things happen to good people and cancer is indiscriminate, but I remain convinced that good things can come from tough circumstances. I'm not sure I'd be as resilient if it wasn't for the services of My Cancer My Choices, and I have definitely benefited from space to process, including the Mindfulness course I attended. As an aside, I'm still disappointed that cancer didn't turn me into a Zen Master. I still shout at the TV when I disagree with the politics, I still sweat the small stuff (why oh why am I the only person in my household capable of replacing the loo roll?!) and I still don't like kale smoothies or green tea. Ho hum!

It's my experiences as a cancer patient and as a service user that led to me applying to become a volunteer patient trustee of My Cancer My Choices. I'm grateful that my application was successful and that I have a chance to 'give back'. COVID got in the way slightly of course, but onwards and upwards.

The point of all of this is to encourage you to look up My Cancer My Choices if you - or anyone you know in the Berkshire area - might benefit from their services. It's also to encourage you to look at how you might want to 'give back'. I'm fortunate that October is also ServiceNow 's 'Month of Service' and today I was able to spend some time with the charity to help look at their marketing and how they continue to attract the attention of the people who might need their services, the prospective volunteers (meeters/greeters, therapists etc.) who can help provide services and prospective supporters who can help fund them!

If you're in a position to help this fantastic charity (at least give them a follow!) or others in your area, please consider doing so. Honestly, you won't regret it - it's hugely rewarding.

(Well done if you got to the end of this. Thank you!)