Looking Forward
Anne’s treatment ended in September 2019, and she had a phased return to work during which time tiredness and fatigue played a large part in her day. Regaining fitness was a key part of Anne’s focus and she started doing the ParkRun in Newtown when she could.
“I was exhausted, I had to go to bed at 8 O’clock, you just forget how big the impact of cancer is, keeping fit and doing exercise really helped with that. I read a lot, I liked having all the information, and stats show that by doing exercise it can help prevent reoccurrence of cancer by up to 50 percent. Going through treatment is really tiring, keeping moving was important to me, and now I know the more you can do the more energy you have.”
Anne is now on hormone therapy for the next five years and must take daily tablets, and a monthly injection, all of which is managed by her GP. Her motto to not let cancer rule her life is spurring her on to help other people be more aware about spotting the signs of cancer and dealing with it early.
“Looking ahead I’m feeling apprehensive and anxious about my upcoming mammogram , I can’t let it control me. I can’t spend the rest of my life waiting for cancer to come back. You can’t spend your life thinking what if.
I worked as a careers advisor so I have helped other people, I want to keep doing that. I shared social posts about breast cancer. I just wanted to get people to think about checking themselves more.
I’m quite passionate about giving back. During my time off work, I kept busy reading. I needed to know everything, the what, when and why of cancer. I would like to use my experiences to help others. Stats show that 1 in 2 of us will get cancer, you’re incredibly lucky if it doesn’t have an impact on you.
Life’s short and it can all change on the roll of a dice. We think we’re invincible, but we’re not.”
A tractor run was organised by Anne’s friends last summer which raised £2,700 for Lingen Davies – a cause that has become very important to Anne and her family.
For more information on spotting the signs of cancer, where to turn for help and support, and our LiveLife Cancer Awareness work visit our Live Life Cancer Hub.