Wear it pink with Katrina

I underwent a double mastectomy on Valentines Day 

In January 2022, aged 41, I was diagnosed with breast cancer having discovered I carry a high-risk gene a couple of months earlier. I had oestrogen receptor positive, HER2 negative cancer and underwent a double mastectomy on Valentine's Day in 2022. Fortunately, I didn't need to have chemotherapy or radiotherapy because the cancer was caught early.  

I now have ongoing treatment for 5-10 years with hormone therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence and have experienced a sudden, early menopause as a result of having my ovaries removed in September 2022. 

I was keen to get involved in wear it pink 

While I was off work recovering from my operation, I used the Breast Cancer Now website to find information and came across the wear it pink campaign - I was keen to get involved. 

I have been inspired by many people during my breast cancer journey so far, especially the medical and nursing teams who have looked after me with such kindness and compassion. This made a huge difference to my experience of care.  

I am grateful for the research that has informed the treatment I have had and that there are so many options available to treat breast cancer because of this research, but there's still so much more to discover. 

I want to raise the profile of breast cancer  

Getting involved in wear it pink is a chance to highlight breast cancer and how common it is. It spreads awareness of what all women should be doing to check their breasts regularly and keep themselves as healthy as possible. I want to keep supporting others going through similar things to myself and to raise the profile of breast cancer. Ongoing research into new treatments is so important to improve care for patients like myself.