A wee trip through the cancer valley

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A wee trip through the cancer valley

A personal blog through my breast cancer journey.

29/07/2025

You would think getting scanned every 3 months and results every 3 months one would be used to the cycle of scans and results by now. But it never gets any easier.

No matter how much you can rationalise or try to be positive or distract yourself, there's still always that ni**le at the back of your mind thinking what if?

What if this time it all changes?
What if something shows?
What if you've caught up with the stats and borrowed time?
What if treatment changes and life as you have got used to it changes again too?

The what ifs may lay dormant or be covered in cobwebs at the back of your mind but they are still always there.

But then what if all is ok? Anything and everything goes through your mind but only time will tell ❤️

Keep everything crossed!!

23/05/2025

Please take a moment and watch the video and if you can please donate to Cancer Friends Causeway Coast by clicking on the following link:

https://www.paypal.me/CFCC24

30/03/2025

My most vulnerable interview I have ever done but thanks to Gillian Anderson for putting me at ease.
I really hope that even slightly, it takes the fear out of the word cancer for people and encourages people to live the life you would love to live in the here and now ❤️

26/03/2025

Here's to 5 years today, my first tumour being removed.

It started me on a journey of treatment, recovery, healing, self-growth, rediagnosis, acceptance and keeping on going.

It's a chance to be thankful for my circle of support, my friends, my family and whatever dance project we take on. And a reason to live and make the little moments feel like magical moments

Cheers to this milestone and the many more to come ♥️

04/03/2025

When I was given my second diagnosis in Sept 2023 and they told me any treatment would be to prolong life. I was so angry with the world and felt like I was carrying around a death sentence on the weight of my shoulders.

My friends and family started taking part in Emma's live list with me, distracting me from everything and also pushing me to live life to the full. Small things became more meaningful memories like getting to see Pips start secondary school or see her play football at The Foyle Cup. And it sped up some bigs things too, making us go after our wants and dreams and putting nothing on hold like having a masquerade ball, being in panto and getting married.

Yesterday I attended the funeral of someone I cherished as a friend. I listened to her family speak so highly of her and her son speak so innocently about how one normal Saturday morning, his mum was cheering him on at rugby and the next she was experiencing the symptoms that led to her passing.

Listening to Kerry's children talking about how filled their lives were with love, life and laughter with their mum and having them encourage others to live life to the full and to not hold back taught me the biggest lesson. I may now have a diagnosis and live with cancer but I've also been gifted time.

Treatment is working, I'm doing well, I'm making more memories and a part of me feels guilty about this for the family whose life changed in a blink of an eye. But that same family and their mum have been the biggest testament ever to go after every moment and don't hold back.

To Kerry and your family, thank you all for making the world brighter, even during your darkest of times.

11/02/2025

In 2020 when the world stopped for COVID,
My world paused for cancer which I managed to get rid.
Surgeries, chemo, radio and loss of hair,
It didn't stop me even though I felt so bare.

Four years of recovery, being the new me,
Working, dancing, parenting, rebuilding my family tree,
Trusting the process, getting repeat scans,
Looking to the future, making more plans.

Then 2023 without any warning,
Cancer came back, the news delivered one Wednesday morning.
This time was different, this time there's no cure,
Just a chance to prolong and make many memories I was sure.

I now live with cancer, it doesn't stop me.
It may slow me down but it hasn't got me.
Everyday I count as a blessing,
My partner, my kids, my friends, cancer ain't messing

One thing it has taught me, life is a gem
There's always sunshine hidden even under mayhem
I live with cancer and it lives with me
But my happiness isn't taken as it belongs to me

19/07/2023

It's been a while since I decided to share a bit of what life is like now post cancer. Part of it was to do with me thinking, oh now I'm in recovery I don't need to anymore as I'm all better and part of it was trying to distance myself from the reminder that it all did actually happen.

In reality, it still crops up everyday. Whether it's just in conversation or sharing my story with people who I know who are starting this journey themselves. Or if its a reminder due to left over complications from surgery or good old chemo fatigue cropping up. And of course the lovely feeling of having joint pains to match my granny 🤣 (Mary probably doesn't complain as much as me)

So I thought I would pop back up on here and share and say "Yup I'm still alive". The cancer part might be out of my body and my body might be a bit weaker but I'm here, I'm happy and I'm living life the way I want to. I even went blonde...tho that's a bit more midlife crisis than anything else.

This photo sums me up these....wonky b***s, blonde hair, yellow leather jacket and still smiling away 😊

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