My Mum died in June 2018 after being diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2016.
Her death certificate stated that she had secondary breast cancer in her liver. This was all I knew about primary and secondary breast cancer. That was until a fateful day on 22 July 2022 when I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. The understatement is that my life came crashing down round my ears. I was only 50 – had my first mammogram in October 2021 and that showed nothing. I found a lump in April 2022, when I was very busy at work, so I didn’t go to see my GP until later June. The GP was fantastic, and I had a hospital appointment within a couple of weeks, biopsy sorted and then the diagnosis as stated above.
So, after surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I finished my active treatment in March 2023. Whilst going through all the treatment, I read up on the symptoms of secondary cancer, engaged with a few people who had Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer and then came across this wonderful charity METUPUK.
Since moving to Northeast England in 2013, I had said I wanted to complete the GNR. However, never really found the time, the inspiration or the willpower to take this on. Now I realised that, whilst I am able to do this, the time is now. I have a fear that my breast cancer will return somewhere else in my body and so I have to do this whilst I am able, just in case. I knew I wanted to support a cancer charity and I wanted it to be one that wasn’t as well-known as some others. So, I contacted them to see if this was possible. I am so pleased that they didn’t think I was bonkers (although I am!) and they worked with GRN to get some charity places to support they valuable work.
METUPUK is the ONLY patient advocacy group in the UK. They are here to push and promote issues with secondary/metastatic breast cancer.
This is the Darker Side of Pink! This charity supports people who aren’t going to receive the words “No Evidence of Disease”, these people will not survive cancer, but it works to push for more awareness, better drug access, access to clinical trials, data because those with MBC are not counted and better research to give people a chance at living with a better quality of life for that bit longer. I hope you will sponsor me as whether I can run or whether I crawl the route, I will complete the GNR!
Whilst still recovering from my cancer treatment, back working full time and training for the run, I am also getting married in August! I like to be busy! Life is too short to waste any time.
So come on down to the Great North Run and cheer on me and all the other runners some of whom will also be running for METUPUK.