In September this year I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I am 25 years old and so as you can imagine this came with huge shock, not least from my Doctors who had all reassured me that the lump I was feeling was not worrying them at all. I am a self confessed hypochondriac however this time it very much worked in my favour. I was persistent, I knew that something wasn't right here, I trusted my body. I have a lot of cancer in my family and have subsequently tested positive for the BRCA2 gene. Now I have come a long way since September, i'm two boobs down post surgery for a Bilateral Mastectomy in October but was fortunate enough to have had immediate reconstruction so with huge thanks to my surgeon I still feel very much like me but a me having eliminated chances for this pernicious disease to strike me there again. Due to the increased risk of infertility from Chemotherapy I underwent a round of IVF treatment and had 17 eggs collected. I am now undergoing Chemotherapy treatment which believe me when I say is no mean feat! Round 4 of 8 is on Monday....wish me luck! I have had more injections than you can shake a stick at, more blood tests than I care to remember and countless crisis of self!
My time would be wasted with the 'why me's ?' and the 'What have I done to deserve this ?' sentiments for the faint hearted. Im here now and oh boy am I going to turn this into something good! I like to think of myself as a positive person and so it doesn't take much to fuel the motivational fires but theres nothing quite like a cancer diagnosis to give you that push!
Needless to say we need to put a stop to the stigma that Breast Cancer is really only a threat when you are 40+. Most Breast Cancers are hormone driven and so we should be putting up our defences as soon as those start to take up shop. I don't say this to scare you, I say this to make you aware. Breast Cancer in younger women and men is rare but it is possible. I am living proof of that and early detection is crucial! It is thanks to Coppafeel and their invaluable work at Boob HQ that I knew that something wasn't right and I was persistent! This in turn meant that my tumour was successfully removed during surgery and my results came back with clear margins! Knowing your boobs really can save your life and I think its so important, no matter what age you are to be aware and on top of this!
Huskke & Co have created 'LIGHT' a soy wax candle in solidarity with this cause. £5 from every candle sold will be donated to Coppafeel so that we can help to raise awareness and have a positive impact on peoples health.
Lets shine a 'light' on Breast Cancer in the young so that like me many more have a successful prognosis!
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