To survive during my fight against cancer!

Hi, my name is Anna.

I am 45 and I live in Newport, South Wales. I’m a mum to two lovely children age 8 and 12! I work as Activities Coordinator and I love my job.

In March 2023 I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer stage 2- luckily it was caught early. Unfortunately my HER2 test came back positive. HER2-positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This protein promotes the growth of cancer cells.

In about 1 of every 5 breast cancers, the cancer cells have extra copies of the gene that makes the HER2 protein. HER2-positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. A positive test for HER2 means breast cancer may grow quickly and possibly come back (recur).

On May 23rd 2023 I had an operation to remove two cancerous areas from my breast, one was 2 cm and the other area was just spreading. I also had a lymph cut out from my armpit and the results came back normal- this means there is no spread of the cancer to other parts of my body. Unfortunately because of HER2+ it means the cancer may return. The recommended treatment to prevent that is 6 months of chemotherapy, after that I will need radiotherapy. I will also be put on tablets for another 10 years. My treatment will start in July 2023.

Due to long chemo treatment I will really struggle to cover all my expenses. On avarage I have around £1200 bills to cover each month, that doesnt include food or petrol. I will still try to work as much as possible but the reality is I will be very, VERY tired and worn out from chemotherapy and will need to use a lot of sick days. My partner won’t be able to cover all our bills and a mortgage, which’s gone through the roof this year! He won’t be able to cover all that by himself, this is a massive worry and we don’t want to loose our house!

I am planning to shave my hair before it starts falling out. If you’d like to shave yours with me and raise funds that way- please do so! You don‘t know how much it would mean to me ☺️

Everyone who has ever met me knows I'm a workaholic. I dont like charity and it is embarrassing for me to ask for help. Never in a million years I would’ve thought I’d find myself in this situation. But life throws curveballs our ways and the best way to deal with them is to keep on fighting, smiling and surround yourself with people who can support you. So please- support me. Whether it’s by donating, fundraising money or holding an event that could raise money, even just a cupcake sale, every little helps! Some day one of you might need help too- and I will be there to help! I am going to get through this, but to do so I need your help-PLEASE.

I am also planning to shave my hair before it starts falling out. If you’d like to shave yours with me and raise funds that way- please do so! You don‘t know how much it would mean to me ☺️

I will finish by quoting my dear friend who told me this…’Life is full of traffic lights. You might be on red today, but you know the amber is coming and the green is next!’