Melanie's story

I'm 31 and I work as a health visitor. I live in London with my husband and our 2-year-old daughter. She brings so much joy and laughter to my life and she gives me the motivation to stay strong.

I had a lumpectomy and radiotherapy, and I’m now on a 5-year course of tamoxifen. My body feels like it's been through a lot, and I've struggled with the hormonal side of things. I went from post-partum and breastfeeding to now having menopausal side effects from the tamoxifen. I feel like I've got whiplash just from thinking of the hormonal changes in my body!

Breast Cancer Now’s information booklets have been incredibly helpful

The booklets were the first things given to me after my diagnosis and they helped me understand it better. There has been a relevant booklet for every stage of my treatment, and there was even a booklet about moving on after treatment. I've always had these little guides to help me feel more informed. They’ve also been useful for my husband to read, so he could understand each stage that I had to go through, too.

I also found the forum really useful. It was helpful to be able to chat to people who are going through similar experiences to me.

After Breast Cancer Now’s support, I wanted to give back and raise awareness. I decided to take part in wear it pink.

I know my workplace would embrace wear it pink

I’d make sure to have lots of pink decorations like balloons and bunting, pink drinks like pink lemonade, and lots of pink themed bakes too. As a health visitor, I support mothers with breastfeeding, and we have lots of ‘knitted boobs’ at work to demonstrate how it works. They could be repurposed to teach my colleagues how to check their breasts instead. 

My top tip: catch everyone’s attention

I’d recommend raiding your wardrobe to find the brightest pink clothes or accessories you own. Even if it's not what you reach for on a day-to-day basis, the aim is for the pink to catch everyone's attention.

Breast cancer was not on my radar before I was diagnosed

Breast Cancer Now has been a big part of helping me understand my diagnosis and all the treatments that I needed. The research that Breast Cancer Now has led, and the breast cancer awareness they’ve raised has also helped save so many lives.

I think wear it pink is a great way to get people thinking about breast cancer. It gets them checking themselves regularly, which could save peoples’ lives.