4 members of my family have the altered BRCA2 gene
After Katie’s mum and half-sister were diagnosed with breast cancer, she and her sister discovered they all had the altered BRCA2 gene.
My friends stopped talking to me after I was diagnosed
Leanne’s social circle diminished when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She shares her experience and why her support network is strong...
I was scared to check my breasts
Della was diagnosed in 2010. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month she’s working to increase awareness and improve care for women with breast c...
I can’t control if my cancer comes back
When Lauren’s treatment finished she thought she’d be overjoyed, but instead struggled with anxiety.
I didn’t think I could cope going back to work
Kaz struggled with anxiety when she returned to work after treatment. She shares how she transitioned back to the workplace, and how a new-f...
Five tips for returning to work after treatment
Returning to work after treatment, Kaz wondered ‘Will I be able to cope?’ Here are her top five tips for reclaiming your work routine after ...
I didn't let myself recover mentally after treatment
After Lauren's treatment ended she desperately wanted to return to ‘normal’, but became overwhelmed with anxiety. She tells us how she coped...
Five tips for managing scans and results
Kate, who has secondary breast cancer, gives her tips on managing scanxiety and upcoming appointments.
I feel guilty for having a baby when I have a faulty BRCA gene
Aimi’s mother and grandmother both died by the age of 36 from breast and ovarian cancers. Aimi tells us what it’s like to have inherited the...
Five tips for losing weight after breast cancer
Emma struggled when she gained weight during breast cancer treatment. She shares five tips that helped her on her weight loss journey.
I planned my wedding while going through chemotherapy
Cliona was 24 and newly engaged when she found out she had breast cancer. She shares why she kept her spirits up and how her loved ones help...
I'm afraid to celebrate the end of my treatment
Emma, who recently finished treatment, shares how she is managing her emotions and why it's important to take time for herself.
I realised how much I wanted a family when I was diagnosed
Rachael’s first thought when she was diagnosed was ‘Can I still have children?’ She talks about fertility treatment and how she had her son,...
I couldn’t get it out of my head that my children would grow up without a mummy
Kim's walking in The Show London to show other women who have had a double mastectomy that they are still beautiful.
I had to confront my own mortality
Yoga and meditation helped Catherine come to terms with her diagnosis. Here she shares her top tips for finding calm during and after treatm...
I had a recurrence 10 years after my first diagnosis
Cora was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. When she had a recurrence 10 years later, Breast Cancer Now provided her with essential...
It was hard for friends to understand how I felt
Julia felt isolated as a young, gay woman with breast cancer. Now she shares her experience with other young women.
Coming out as gay helped me prepare for breast cancer
When Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer she wondered what it would mean for her relationship. She shares how her experiences have taught ...
Should I want to know my prognosis?
Rebecca, diagnosed with incurable, secondary breast cancer earlier in 2018, looks at what a prognosis means to her, and whether it would cha...
How to manage menopausal symptoms in the heat
Managing the side effects of hormone therapies like tamoxifen can be challenging. Helen shares her tips for managing menopausal symptoms in ...
How I supported my daughter through breast cancer
Dennis lost his wife and later his partner to breast cancer. When his daughter Sarah was diagnosed, his experience helped him give her the s...
I was shocked to find out what breast cancer really felt like
Psychologist Dr Cordelia Galgut was used to supporting women with breast cancer. But after her own diagnosis she truly understood what they ...
My story: breast reconstruction
We speak to three women about their different experiences and choices around breast reconstruction.
My new look: when my hair grew back after chemo
Sheila McNicol describes how the day she stopped wearing her wig was the day she came to terms with how she looked, and why friends and fami...
Five things that helped me move forward after treatment
One year on, Fran looks back at how she felt after treatment and how far she has come since then.
I felt empowered by choosing not to have a reconstruction
Juliet, from Hertfordshire, explains how she had thought that a breast reconstruction was inevitable, and how realising it wasn’t was ...
Breast cancer changed me as a person
Sara shares her experience and gives her tips for moving forward after treatment for feeling like 'me' again.
I was diagnosed aged 21
Liz, from Southend, was told she had the altered BRCA gene after being diagnosed. She tells us how she felt as a young woman with breast can...
Ten tips for getting through chemo
Laura tells us about her experience of chemotherapy and shares her top tips for getting through treatment.
Writing helped me face my demons
Fran, from Dorset, tells us how writing helped her move forward after treatment, and gives her top tips for starting to write.
I learnt to accept the fear of recurrence
As the new year draws near, Ann reflects on how she gave voice to her fears, and how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helped her through.
Christmas is still magical despite my secondary diagnosis
Kate was diagnosed three years after the death of her husband. She tells us how she's learnt to grab opportunities and make the most of Chri...
‘What can I do to help?’ How to support someone through treatment
It can be hard to know how to help someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Bex gives us her tips that helped her when she started...
I thought I was the only one experiencing fatigue
After treatment ended, Betty struggled with fatigue. She realised she wasn't the only one, and gives her top tips on how to manage it.
Why I chose to get a mastectomy tattoo
When Liz decided to cover her mastectomy scar with a tattoo, she didn’t know where to begin. Her tattoo artist Shirley helped Liz restore he...
Dear Cancer: I am no longer afraid
'Three years ago, you made a shocking appearance in my life. I can't pretend that you are going to like what I have to say, but I have to ge...
How to support someone with secondary breast cancer
Kate, who has incurable, secondary breast cancer, and her friend David tell us how their friendship helps them through difficult times.
I thought black women didn’t get breast cancer
Della was shocked when she was diagnosed. Now she works setting up support groups to raise awareness and understanding of breast cancer.
Mum’s breast cancer diagnosis changed our whole family dynamic
Sally Taylorson-Lavers was 27 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She gives 10 tips for coping when a parent has cancer.
Breast cancer changed my perception of time
After Ann finished treatment for breast cancer, she was struck by a wave of anxiety and grief as the impact of her diagnosis hit.
Cancer is part of my life but now I’m in control
When Joanna was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago, she thought her life would change forever. She talks about side effects, cold c...
Everyone with secondary breast cancer should have a specialist nurse
Mandy was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer two years ago when she was 47. Since being diagnosed she has had support from Tracy, a seco...
2 steps to creating natural-looking eyebrows after chemotherapy
Make-up artist Melanie Daly shares some tips and products for recreating the look of natural eyebrows after chemotherapy.
Hoping to click: dating and breast cancer
Seven women share their stories of dating after a breast cancer diagnosis.
My secondary care is so uncertain
What Dawn had thought was back pain turned out to be secondary breast cancer. Feeling lost and as though no one knew what they were doing, s...
The day I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer
14 months after she finished her treatment, Sarah Pickles looks back on the day she found out she had triple negative breast cancer.
I had a double mastectomy on my 27th birthday
Almost 20 years after she lost her mother to breast cancer, Nicola Downey found out she had inherited an altered BRCA1 gene, which increases...
How I stayed active during chemotherapy
Breast surgeon Liz O’Riordan explains how she managed to stay active during treatment for breast cancer.
Radiotherapy: I knew what to expect but the reality was quite different
Alice-May Purkiss, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2015 aged 26, describes the reality of having radiotherapy.
Why I got a tattoo to cover my mastectomy scar
Kerry Allison hated looking at her mastectomy scar. But 2 years after her breast cancer diagnosis, she found an artistic way to regain her s...