Joanna Clark, of Long Hanborough in Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2016. In this moving interview with the Women V Cancer charity, Breast Cancer Care, she tells how the charity supported her through her recovery and helped her stay strong for her daughter.
The mother of one said: “I would never have gotten where I am now without Breast Cancer Care. Their support has been invaluable.”
Joanna had been for a routine mammogram when doctors found a 2 cm lump in her left breast. Her daughter, Georgia, was taking her A Levels at the time.
“It was all very sudden and a monumental shock. I had no symptoms whatsoever and I couldn’t even feel the lump when they told me it was there,” she said.
“I cried all afternoon when I got back from the hospital, but when I knew Georgia was coming home from school, I washed my face and put my make up on and was as positive as I could be about it. I told her the lump was tiny, which it was. I was truthful but I didn’t show her I was upset. She was in shock when I told her, but she was very brave.”
Joanna had surgery to remove the lump, followed by a second operation after further cancerous cells were found. She then had three weeks of radiotherapy and medication.
During her treatment, Joanna turned to Breast Cancer Care’s Helpline, which provides practical and emotional advice for people affected by breast cancer. She also used the charity’s Someone Like Me service to speak to two women who had been through breast cancer too.
“I didn’t think I would get the opportunity to do that and it was a lifeline at the time because I was so worried,” she said.
Breast Cancer Care is the only charity with UK-wide locations that provides dedicated care, information and support to people affected by breast cancer. Recognised by thousands of people as a truly invaluable cause, over a thousand men and women from all around the UK are coming together to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care and Prostate Cancer UK by walking a marathon around London at night. Find out more about Walk the Night.
Women can raise money for Breast Cancer Care by taking on any of the Women V Cancer challenges, which also support the incredibly important charities, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action. Alternatively, you can choose to support Breast Cancer Care exclusively through an open challenge.
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