Michelle's Race for Life

My story officially started on 30th October 2018, when calmly I went with my best friend for a mammogram for a lump I found while in the shower, me being me thought it was going to be a fatty tissue or cyst just like I'd had in the past. 4 biopsies later my world came crashing down to reality when I was told whatever the results I would be having treatment, the following 9 days were horrendous waiting to see the consultant for the results, Thursday 8th November it was confirmed Breast Cancer. The rollercoaster journey began and another week wait for more results from blood test to see what type of cancer it was, yet again another blow, my receptors showed I was HER2 positive, which basically means its an invasive form of breast cancer, my body produces twice as much protein so the cancer cells split twice as fast making it hard for chemotherapy to do it job. But thanks to research they now know how to give people a better of chance of survival, before my chemotherapy every 3 weeks I had 2 lots of target therapy drugs as well, these work by coating the cancer cells stopping them from spreading so hopefully the chemo can do its job and kick butt. For me fast forward 6 months and 6 rounds of chemo and surgery its time for more results, wahoo its worked and the chemotherapy shrunk the 8cm mass/tumour and following my mastectomy all is looking good with so sign of cancer. Even though my chemotherapy has now finished I am still having target therapy drugs every 3 weeks for another 12 rounds but without this the 5/10 year survival rate wouldn't be good at all. Chemotherapy side effects can be awful and tough, for me it wasn't just the thinning of hair, the loss of eyelashes and brows, the weight gain or the complete fatigue it was the emotional side to, words can't explain how it feels when you look in the mirror and you don't recognise yourself anymore, guess everything for me changed. I think its only now I'm starting to realise how much I have been through and has been pumped into my body on this journey and still theres more to go, for added measure on top of target therapy I will be having radiotherapy in June everyday for 3 weeks (been advised due to the initial size of my tumour and incase of any stray cells) But the important message I'm trying to say is I am forever grateful if it wasn't for Cancer Research I wouldn't be having this opportunity to take part in this 5k and get myself covered in mud, thanks to them they have given me and other ladies and men like myself a chance to live again and with the continued research and new drugs being developed for our type of cancer hopefully it will be a long life too. Please don't be like me and be naive thinking it would never happen to you, no one is invisible and Cancer is happening right now, this is why I'm taking part in a Race for Life Pretty Muddy to raise money and save lives. The cancer didn't just affect me it affected all those around me too and their lives too changed on Tuesday 30th October 2018 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Every single pound you donate makes a difference to Cancer Research UK’s groundbreaking work, so please sponsor me now.