Tenacious Tat's Breast Cancer Battle

Hello! I'm Roxy, and I'm the very proud daughter of Tatina Armstrong (Tat). She's a proud woman who will likely kill me for this, but I figure it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission!

A lot of people already know my lovely mum Tat has Stage 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - breast cancer. The whole area has a mix of invasive and preinvasive disease, with a growing mass of over 10cm.

The Oncology teams have put her on a priority list as the cancer is so agressive, and have decided she needs to urgently begin treatment in January, which will consist of 7 sessions of infusion chemotherapy alongside targeted treatments and injections to follow for 12 months. She will also need surgery in Summer 2025 (either a mastectomy or hopefully a therapeutic mammoplasty) followed by radiotherapy.

You may know she has already had a horrific year after experiencing heartbreak after her ex-husband cruelly and abruptly ended their marriage, alongside battling with all of her existing autoimmune disorders and health issues. So this is the last thing she needs!

She's fought her hardest to stay above water to pay the costs that come with divorce, vet bills for her precious cats, boiler trouble, debts, and now mortgage refusal on top.

As always, she has worked every day she possibly could (and overtime!) and used up her holidays. Obviously once treatment begins she is going to need some time off, to attend sessions and appointments - and recover between them! Once her sick leave runs out, she will drop down to half pay - which nobody can live off. Thankfully we have the wonderful NHS who I know will work their hardest to get her through this without payment like other countries, but there are so many other costs involved that people tend to forget.

My mum is a proud (and bloody stubborn) woman, and absolutely hates the idea of asking for help, so I'm taking the blame and doing it instead! I wish I was in a better place financially to help her through this, but it's my hope that her friends and supporters will be able to spare a quid or two to make this journey easier for her.

This fundraiser is intended to ease any financial worries during treatment, so her sole focus can be on healing and fighting this battle. I will send mum any donations as they arrive, and she can then use the money to pay for things like bills, grocery deliveries, wigs, petrol, and anything else that crops up.

If you're in a position to be able to give, then thank you in advance. If not, please don't worry as I know times are tough at the moment - shares and reposts are equally important and any form of support is hugely appreciated! If instead you would like to send a giftcard or something to her directly, drop me a message on 07737566646 and I'll sort it for you.

Thanks for reading, and please keep my lovely mum in your thoughts as she bravely fights this battle.

~ Roxy & Evangeline

(Tat's proud daughter and granddaughter)