Shantelle’s cancer journey!!! The fight for her life

Hi my name is Shantelle and I am living with secondary metastatic breast cancer. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 aged 28 years old. As a young mum with 3 children our entire world was turned upside down. We was immediately thrown into the terrifying conveyor belt system of being a cancer patient and not having a clue if the decisions we had to make in regards to my health and treatment were the right ones. Taking oncology advice, at the same time fearing for my life and what the future may hold, whilst hoping for the best, praying and doing anything in my power so that I will live to see my children grow up! The journey has been a rollercoaster and a long road. I wanted to start this page to help raise money for alternative medicine and to alleviate some of the pressure and stress I am facing being unable to work anymore due to previous surgery as well as upcoming harsh treatment. There are also many hidden costs while receiving treatment that a lot people may not know about. Any help, little or large would be greatly appreciated. Some of the treatments available to me will be life-long and involves huge dietary and lifestyle changes. If I can raise funds it could help with possible travel requirements for future treatment.

My journey after diagnosis started immediately with chemotherapy, a left breast mastectomy followed by radiotherapy. Returning back to work as an NHS worker I thought the whole ordeal could be put behind us and life could return to some sort of normality. However, I was soon to be disappointed as the cancer had metastasised within the year to the chest sturnam bone. At this point I was told the cancer was incurable and the treatment plan from there on out was to try and slow down further spread. All I heard was the words ‘terminal’! How could that be? Life since then has been regular staging scans, hormone therapy, blood tests. As the years have gone by the cancer has slowly spread at different intervals. I had a second mastectomy, more radiotherapy. It spread to my spine and affected my mobility, putting me in a wheelchair and having to use walking aids. My vertebrae collapsed and I had to have x2 nerve block procedures and a vertebraeplasty having to travel to Birmingham for this surgery. I have progressed through multiple different hormonal treatments and oral chemotherapy drugs. As a result I’ve since developed osteoporosis, infective encarditis and lymphoedema. Not once have I given up hope and I continue to remain mentally strong and positive. The cancer has recently progressed into the liver and lungs and we had the unfortunate news that I may only have 12 months left to live. The oncologist has started me on Paclitaxel intravenous chemotherapy in which is administered once a week. Please help us to raise the funds in order to seek alternative therapy treatments. I refuse to sit back and watch life whittle away. The goal is to seek treatments that are available elsewhere and also look into second opinions, drug trials and health/wellness clinics. Also to financially help towards the cost of cancer related items as I cannot work and I will need a lot of care as my body deteriorates. The chemotherapy treatment I’m on at the moment will cause my hair to fallout during treatment and I will need to by a comfortable wig. I regularly have to buy all sorts of vitamins and whole foods to keep my immune system as strong as possible. Our family would be so appreciative at any donation if anybody is kind enough to hear our story and want to help. We will continue to fight and support each other as a family . I refuse to give up the fight! If it’s Gods plan that my time is coming to an end then I hope that I can continue to make some special memories with my babies. They are my world and my motivation and I am honestly so blessed and grateful to have been chosen to birth them I am one proud momma. They have grown up having to be my carers by default, it has shaped them into such caring, respectful, resilient, compassionate and courageous individuals. They have seen me at my worst and loved me unconditionally. Kind regards to all that are reading my cancer journey it really means a lot