Special Feature Edition: Pathways to Resilience: Embracing
our Vulnerability, Celebrating our Resilience
“We all have an unsuspected reserve of strength
inside that emerges when life puts us to the test.’, which today is very apt
for me.”
Today
for #pathways2resilience we are featuring Vicky, one of the Centre’s deputies. Vicky
was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in June 2015, she has two young
children, and she is learning to live with the psychological impact this
diagnosis brings.
In
her feature she talks about the Centre and about her recent venture into the
world of politics!
~
I
was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in June 2015 at the age of 40, nine years on from my primary diagnosis. Through the haze caused by the
crushing anguish of this diagnosis I found myself venturing back to online breast
cancer support groups. Around October last year I stumbled across and joined the fledgling
psycho-educational group ‘Building Resilience in Breast Cancer’, the private member
group of The Research Centre for Building Psychological Resilience in Breast
Cancer, headed up by Professor Naz Derakhshan. By the end of the year I had been
recruited by Naz and deputy Tamsin to assist with running the group. We have
seen our private support group expand and flourish, we have established our public
page and after working together so closely, the three of us are now firm
friends for life.
Earlier
this year Tamsin and I developed and launched the Centre’s blog, Panning for
Gold. The aim of the blog is to provide an
inclusive space which represents the many voices of women with a breast cancer
diagnosis. I braved writing a couple of blog posts myself around the
subject of secondary breast cancer, one of which I wrote a year on from my
diagnosis.
In addition to helping out at the Centre, I have recently found myself volunteering with
Breast Cancer Care at two events to promote their ‘Secondary. Not Second Rate’
campaign. I attended the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, then the
following week joined them again at an event at The Houses of Parliament. Being involved in this type of event really highlights the lack of
knowledge out there over the difference between primary and secondary breast cancer and
because of this secondary breast cancer does not get the coverage and funding it deserves.
People don't die from breast cancer in the
breast and local area (Stages I/II/III) however 30% of people diagnosed with
primary disease go on to develop secondary breast cancer (Stage IV), where it spreads
to distant areas of the body. Around one person every 44 minutes dies from SBC in
the UK. It has NO cure and many people don’t know this fact. With access to the
best available care and treatment it can in some cases be managed and
controlled for some time but still secondary diagnosis sees only 15%
surviving 5 years and 10% surviving 10 years.
Upon
speaking with Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health at the Conservative
Party Conference, the message we heard from him was that early detection of
primary breast cancer is the key to dealing with the disease and while I agreed
that this can make all the difference with the outcome for many, I politely voiced
that despite my breast cancer being detected very early, my cancer still spread
and now I’m living with secondary, incurable breast cancer.
At
the party conference in addition to Mr Hunt we met and spoke with cabinet ministers
Justine Greening and Damian Green, along with staunch Breast
Cancer Care supporter Craig Tracey MP and many other MPs, all of whom were
receptive of the discussion, some learned something from us and some were stunned
by what they heard.
Following
on from this, ahead of secondary breast cancer awareness day, I attended the
Houses of Parliament with Breast Cancer Care to continue with the campaign and
meet with MPs who had agreed to drop in to the event, which was opportunely
directly before PMQs. The MPs were again
receptive and came to understand the difficulties we face living with secondary
breast cancer.
The ‘Secondary. Not Second Rate’
campaign has a few key points and the main focus at the events was on secondary
breast cancer data collection by Hospital Trusts. Breast Cancer Care has
discovered that even though it has been mandatory for 3 years, only one third
of trusts are recording when people are diagnosed with secondary breast cancer.
This means there is no accurate figure of the number of people diagnosed or
living with secondary breast cancer, and makes it impossible to plan
services. This crucial information would highlight how effective primary
breast cancer treatments are and it would ensure the more efficient delivery of
services and treatments to secondary breast cancer patients.
Following
the Houses of Parliament event, Jo Churchill MP, raised a question at PMQs about secondary breast
cancer data collection. Unfortunately the Prime Minister wasn't prepared for the
question and doesn't appear to recognise the difference between primary and
secondary cancer. It was however great
to see the subject raised, so Breast Cancer Care will be working hard to keep up
the momentum. I
am proud to have played a part in this and just hope we can make a difference.
Here’s
hoping for a future living better and for longer with secondary breast cancer.
#panningforgold
#pathways2resilience
#bcresiliencecentre
#breastcancerawareness
