Navigating Breast Cancer at 24

Today’s post is from one of our younger beneficiaries who has kindly agreed to share her story. Josephine, 26, from London suffered awful reactions to nearly all the treatments she underwent but has since found many complementary approaches to support her recovery.

I was diagnosed at 24 years old in the spring of 2014, May to be exact, following an operation to remove what they thought was something called an “Intraductal Papilloma”.

I initially found the lump on Valentine’s Day, or rather my partner did. It was a very small pea-size lump under my nipple. I made a GP appointment soon after and got referred to the breast unit at The Royal Free Hospital. They did a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy and told me that I didn't have cancer but they wanted to remove the lump.

They told me I should celebrate! How wrong they were… and how sad it was, because I did celebrate and thought that would be the end of it.

On the surgery day I was then told they needed to “re-check the tissue”. Low and behold, two weeks later I was called in early and told that it was cancer; grade 2, invasive lobular carcinoma, highly oestrogen and progesterone positive.

Finding the Support I Needed - My Breast Cancer Story

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who kindly agreed to share her story. Lorraine, 49, from the South East was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and found much needed support in Yes to Life.

One morning in June 2011 I looked in the mirror and noticed that my breast had an indentation running from under my arm towards the centre. I felt around and found a hard lump, then made an appointment to see my GP. After having a scan and biopsy at the local hospital I was called back to the consultant’s office.

He told me that it was cancer. My world suddenly collapsed, I was devastated and in complete shock. I was told that it was grade 3 and an aggressive cancer that needed to be removed the following week by a small operation. They also wanted to remove some lymph nodes to assess the prognosis.

I can’t tell you the fear and helplessness you feel when you are diagnosed with cancer. I had to try and explain it to my daughters, an 18 year old and a 10 year old. At 45 I considered myself still fairly young and I lived on my own with my 10 year old. My wider family were unsupportive and I felt very alone.

Breast Cancer, Metamorphosis and Me

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who kindly agreed to share her story. Amanda, 43, from East Sussex has found a range of complementary approaches really beneficial and wants to share her experiences with others.

I was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer in March 2014, the day after my birthday.

I was alone when I got the biopsy results. Afterwards I remember walking past my husband and mum and their faces glaring at me, waiting for a response. I calmly got dressed and told them very rationally that I had breast cancer and it was at a fairly late stage.

Looking back at that time now I remember being so numb and shocked. I felt so sorry for my body. I remember looking myself in the eye as I was getting dressed and feeling it so vividly.  I joked around with the staff as my biopsy was taken, they told me I was a ‘tough cookie.’

I told my family I was under no circumstances having chemotherapy or radiotherapy but they thought I should pursue both natural and conventional medicine. I had heard the positive stories of Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newton-John from my mum (bless her) but deep inside I had already made my decisions.

I had a lumpectomy in May 2014, then a mastectomy at the beginning of August.

Regaining Control - My Breast Cancer Journey

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who kindly agreed to share her story. Laurence, 53, from South East London underwent extensive treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. Whilst suffering gruelling side effects, she began to explore other options that could support her recovery.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2014. I had noticed a thickening of the skin in my breast, but no lump as such just a change of texture. I had been having yearly mammograms for the past 20 years due to family history but they had always been clear. Both my mum and her sister had breast cancer and their mother, my grandmother, died of colon cancer aged 54.

My GP referred me for tests immediately. At the hospital, I noted that I was being processed completely differently. Previously when I was given a mammogram, I would be sent home and told to wait for a letter. On this day, I had a mammogram, a scan and four biopsies, followed by a meeting with the consultant and breast cancer nurse who invited me to the Macmillan unit the following week to talk about the results. It was obvious there was something wrong.

'The C Word - Your questions answered' at Camexpo 2015

Today's post is from our chairman Robin Daly introducing the expert panel 'The C Word - Your questions answered' that he is hosting at this years Camexpo at 3pm on Saturday 26th September. If you are interesting in registering to come along this weekend you can do so here.

Autumn is drawing in and it’s coming round to Camexpo time again. Yes to Life has been generously supported in having a stand at the show for many years, but this year, as a part of our 10th birthday celebrations, the charity is camexpo Charity of the Year...woohoo! We will also be hosting a panel Q&A on the subject of cancer and complementary therapies called 'The C Word - Your questions answered'.

Camexpo is a professional event, targeting the complete spectrum of complementary therapists, many of whom will have had some degree of contact with those with cancer and probably also many questions regarding supporting them. With this in mind, we have assembled a formidable team of experts who share between them a vast range of expertise and experience, with the aim of being able to give an authoritative answer to any question on the subject that a therapist may have.

Embracing Natural Beauty after Cancer with Etie'no

This weeks post is from Precious Jason who founded her own natural skin care brand Etie'no after undergoing treatment for cancer. Precious has been kind enough to donate some of her lovely products for goody bags for our events, and take it from us - they smell good enough to eat.

My dream is to make people feel good about themselves. Cancer is not a full stop.

On 2 June 2012, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia and had to go through several doses of chemotherapy, total body radiation and a bone marrow transplant on 16 May 2013. My skin was damaged; my hair and nails fell out. I found myself with very dry, sensitive and itchy skin and nothing safe enough to use. Some companies used the natural ingredients all right but added artificial preservatives to increase the shelf life. The problem I found was that the preservatives were harsh on my already damaged skin and came with a long list of side effects.

That was when I decided to put my knowledge of natural ingredients to use.

Raw Beetroot Dip

Today's post is a recipe from Jenny Phillips who specialises in supporting cancer patients with diet & lifestyle interventions. She herself recovered from breast cancer 10 years ago and now helps others to improve their health through nutrition.

‘Keep it simple, and keep it colourful’ is my mantra in the kitchen. This is a typical meal – delicious, nutritious and fast to prepare - chicken with sweet potato & thyme chips, steamed broccoli and a beetroot dip.

Beetroot nourishes the blood, supports the liver and is heart healthy. The phytonutrients which give the characteristic strong red colour have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is very desirable from an anti-cancer point of view, and in-vitro studies have shown a cytotoxic effect when beetroot extract is administered to breast, pancreatic and prostate cell lines.[1]

Beetroot can be juiced, grated raw and added to salads, or baked in the oven with olive oil, apple and garlic. Here it is transformed into a dip that can be spread onto crackers or served on the side.