'It was a wonderful day, full of excitement and emotion.'
Today we share these words from Caroline, a very special member of the BRiC admin team. She is living with secondary breast cancer.
Last week on 3rd October I took part as a model in the Breast Cancer Now London Fashion Show along with 31 other women, including fellow BRiC members Jasmin and Keely, and men, who have been treated or who are currently being treated for breast cancer.
It was a wonderful day full of excitement and emotion. For me, the joy came not only with having my hair and make-up done professionally together with gorgeous clothes but with the time together with the other models, including our own Jazz and Keely. We were of all shapes, sizes, ages and stages of disease from DCIS to secondary cancer. And a timely reminder that men get breast cancer too.
Spending time with this fantastic group, talking about our stories and shared experiences was amazing. We laughed, talked for hours – not just about breast cancer but about everything – from families and children, disappearing friends and new friends after diagnosis, our work and our lives. We laughed at how excited we were to meet the celebrities involved in the show, especially our male models to walk us down the catwalk. We were entertained by the brilliant ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again and by the wonderful Heather Small who had us all in tears as she brought us on stage to sing her song “Proud” with its chorus of “What have you done today to make you feel proud”. Just a wonderful day and I know we will all remain friends.
It was a reminder that sometimes there is no substitute for talking, especially face to face. There is something special about time with those who just “get it” – whether it be fits of laughter at the many examples of “chemo brain” to the hugs when the tears come. The week before the show I was told that my cancer had spread further into my brain and am facing whole brain radiotherapy with many side effects, including loosing my hair again. I nearly pulled out of the show and there were certainly many tears on the day having my hair styled, but talking to people who really understand how that feels meant I could find the strength and embrace the whole experience.
Support of others is so important in building resilience – it allows us to voice our fear in a way that maybe our families can’t and encourages us to do the same for others. For me, BRiC has been a lifeline, especially in the support of women with secondary breast cancer.
20/11/2019
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