As a younger woman with breast cancer, Natasha wanted to speak to others who would understand what she was going through. After going to our Moving Forward course, she decided to sign up for Younger Women Together. She tells us about her experience and the support she found with us.
Tell us about your experience of breast cancer
Shortly before my 38th birthday, I found a lump in my breast. One minute there was nothing, and the next minute it was there. I went to my GP and was seen quickly, though initially they told me it was unlikely to be anything to worry about.
A week later my results came back. I found out it was in fact grade 3 breast cancer.
What was your treatment like?
The next few weeks are a bit of a blur of appointments, scans, treatment plans and lots of jargon. My treatment involved surgery, and , which finished just before Christmas that year.
While I was going through treatment, a breast cancer nurse gave me a leaflet from Breast Cancer Now. It was my first introduction to the charity. I scoured the website and forums for information, so I could better understand all the things I was being told.
In the middle of radiotherapy, when “the end” finally seemed to be in sight, I had the biggest wobble mentally. I was thinking about everything that had happened in the previous 8 months and just felt overwhelmed. I decided to sign up for the Moving Forward course to get support.
What was the Moving Forward course like?
The course was perfect. The Moving Forward course gives you the tools to feel confident and move on after finishing treatment. We could share what we were going through in an open, safe environment.
It helped enormously to be surrounded by other women with very similar experiences. We had a safe space to reflect on everything, and to reframe our outlooks going forward.
Did you get any other support?
After Moving Forward, I also attended Younger Women Together. It’s a safe, welcoming space to talk to people going through something similar. And we heard from expert speakers on topics relevant to us.
It can feel isolating to be in a different generation from many other patients at the cancer centre. So it was brilliant to talk to other women going through breast cancer at a younger age.
We swapped stories about the experiences and issues we were facing: juggling careers and supporting families, managing early menopause, wanting to keep active and live full lives. Discussing it all with them, I felt seen and understood.
How are you now?
I’m now almost 4 years post-diagnosis, and 3 years into what will likely be 10 years of hormone therapy. That brings its own challenges. But the Breast Cancer Now nurses have been so helpful, answering questions that come up during my ongoing treatment.
I wanted to thank Breast Cancer Now for their support, so I decided to sign up to run the London Marathon in 2024.
I enjoyed running before my diagnosis, but while I was going through chemo, I felt too tired and ill to run. So, even though training was tough, I remembered how badly I’d wanted to run back then, I kept going and ran the marathon. I'm really proud to have raised over £3,000 for Breast Cancer Now by doing it.
Looking for support?
If you're looking for support moving forward after treatment for breast cancer, take a look at our Moving Forward courses.
And, if you’re age 20 to 45 and you’ve had a breast cancer diagnosis, you can meet women like you and get the answers you need with Younger Women Together.