I was 54 when I was diagnosed with ER+ Grade 2 breast cancer in 2020. I had been experiencing a weird pain in my right breast. Everyone said that it was unlikely to be a sign of cancer, so it’s an understatement to say what a great shock it was, when that’s what it turned out to be. I had a 22mm lump removed using wire-guided surgery, and a lymph node clearance with one node affected, followed by 5 sessions of radiotherapy and Tamoxifen.
At the time of diagnosis, and for as long as I could remember, I’d found medical appointments and settings difficult to deal with. My strategy was to avoid those situations whenever possible, so having treatment for breast cancer during a global pandemic felt off-the-scale scary. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to cope, but I found support through email and online chat and managed to find a way through. I understand when things are just too difficult to talk about – but sometimes writing that stuff down can help.
Today things are looking a whole lot brighter. I am still self-employed, working from home, but I am shifting my work:life balance. I love my cats, walking in the countryside and pottering around on the allotment, and am currently rekindling my craft skills.
I've been a Someone Like Me volunteer since 2022. Please get in touch if I can help by sharing any of my experience with you. Chances are, that I’ve been somewhere like where you are now.
You can email me at jane@breastcancernow.org
Please get in touch if I can help by sharing any of my experience with you. Chances are, that I’ve been somewhere like where you are now.