No Sugar for Amanda & Rupert

Thanks for visiting our fundraising page. This February we are ditching the sweet stuff and giving up sugar for a whole month to raise money for Cancer Research UK and helping to beat cancer sooner. Help us conquer our cravings by sponsoring us. Our Story January 2017 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and it is amazing to think that nearly 2 years have passed since that diagnosis & treatment started. I was then signed off 12 months ago for yearly checkups. Luckily my cancer (stage 2 lobular cancer with lymph node involvement) was found early, so a double mastectomy & hormone treatment was all I needed. The good news too was that survival rate of lobular cancer found at this staging is high. To this day if feels rather surreal that I have actually had cancer at all. I feel grateful that I live in an age where the chances of surviving cancer are much greater than ever before & I am filled with gratitude for all the research that has gone into cancer treatment. However, my cancer diagnosis impacted not only me, but my entire family & friends as well. Even though I was the one who was having all the operations, pain killers and other treatments, my family had to deal with the fear and daily life changes. Often the family goes unnoticed, so if you ever have to face cancer in your circle don't forget to make time for the caregivers too! For them the impact is different but still significant. Cancer effects the whole family! Many people are frightened of cancer and it is difficult to know what to say or do. Be yourself, be open and offer as much love & support as you can to both the patient & the family. Luckily, we had the most amazing support network around us which made recovery so much easier. We felt well and truly carried. Has it changed us? Yes, it has! Life isn't the same. Having had cancer has allowed us to reassess our lives - priorities, family, careers and other relationships. Having cancer has taught us many things but the most important being the appreciation of the simple things in life plus getting our priorities right. Life is too short to hold grudges, all we want from life is to enjoy what is beautiful - our family & our friends. A huge thank you to all who carried us through my cancer but also thank you to my brother in law, Tim, who supported us from his bed, he sadly died of cancer the same year that I was cleared. He is missed beyond words and we are going sugar free this February and raising money for cancer research in the memory of Tim Fawcett.