The Turd and I

In short: I’m a 35 year old who’s been living with stage 4 breast cancer since 2009.

There is, of course, a lot more to me than that.

The longer version: I live in Cornwall with my cat Lady Marmalade. For almost a third of my life I have been living with Stage 4, secondary, incurable cancer. But I’m here, miraculously, living a life I really love. Shortly after the diagnosis at 23, I started the first breast cancer education charity, CoppaFeel!, which raises over £2million per year, successfully campaigned to change the school curriculum and most importantly, has saved many lives. I’ve received a Pride of Britain Award, A Cosmopolitan magazine Campaigner of the year award, shortlisted for Third Sectors most admired charity CEO, and have been awarded an honorary doctorate in Public Administration from Nottingham Trent University. I stepped down as CEO five years ago and now pursues speaking engagements, writing, dipping in the cold sea, serving up coffee and cakes from my vintage truck by the sea with my twin, whilst working for CoppaFeel! part time. Occasionally I even find time to remember I have cancer.

The super long more detailed account of my entire cancer history:

Summer 2008: Visited GP with painful lumpy boob - I had NO idea how long it had been there but do know I had been ignoring symptoms (pain, lump, nipple discharge) for a while, longer than a year.

GP told me it was nothing to worry about. She said it was hormonal. Examined me. 

I went to Beijing for 6 months. Still had lumpy painful boob. Some nights it would wake me up. 

Came home Dec 23rd 2008 and went straight to GP. Saw different GP, didn’t examine me. Wasn’t concerned. Suggested I changed the pill. But instead I came off the pill.

Early January. Went back to the GP. Asked to be referred. Waited 10 days to be seen. Had an ultrasound. Consultant wanted to wait a further 3 weeks for my hormones to settle. 

3 weeks later symptoms were worse, more pain, couldn’t lie on my front, woke up one day with blood stained t shirt. Went back to consultant who did mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. 

One week later, 19th Feb, told it was breast cancer. 

26th Feb told it was secondary breast cancer - it had already spread to my lower spine (which explained the immeasurable pain).

Radiotherapy to spine commenced, followed by chemo commenced - FEC-T and eventually a left mastectomy followed by chest radiotherapy. Shortly after I commenced Tamoxifen and monthly zometa IV. 

2011 - Diagnosed with liver mets and lesions on my hips, pelvis, and more spinal areas. Vertebroplasty to fix my crumbled lower spine and some radiotherapy to upper spine, hips and pelvis. Switched from tamoxifen to letrozole, faslodex and zoladex. Continued with zometa. 

2012 - Brain lesion followed by stereotactic radiotherapy. Continued same treatment. 

2016 - New tiny brain lesion followed by stereotactic radiotherapy. Two new liver lesions. Oophorectomy to ensure little to no oestrogen in my body. Stopped letrozole, switched to exemestane and affinitor. Later switched from Affinitor to Palbociclib targeted treatment. Monthly denusomab injections. 

2018 - multiple brain lesions - 57 in total throughout the year, treated with targeted gamma knife radiotherapy (I was completely asymptomatic). Later that year my liver lesions progressed - one measuring 8cm. Liver biopsy showed cancer now triple negative with not many useful mutations. Commenced capecitabine at slightly lowered dose to avoid side effects. Liver lesion receded to almost nothing.

2021 - new cancer site on left adrenal gland. All other cancer stable. Adrenalectomy to remove entire tumour. Pathology determined also a triple negative breast cancer. Carried on with capecitabine oral chemo as well as denusomab.

I have, over the years, integrated other treatments alongside my conventional regimen. I’ve tried all the below - and have marked the ones I am currently still benefitting from.

Mistletoe therapy - subcutaneous and IV (still active)

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

Cannabis oil (high levels of THC)

Mushroom supplements (still active)

CBD oil (still active)

Acupuncture (still active)

High dose vitamin C (still active)

Repurposed meds (still active)

Energy healing

Pranic healing

Trauma release techniques including breathe work (still active)

Counselling

Juicing

Essential oils

Epsom salt baths (if I had a bath this would be a frequent thing)

Cancer Touch Therapy (still active)

Cold water swimming (still active)

Exercise (still active)

Netflix binges (still active)

Chocolate (still active)

You may have many questions about all the above and I did too when I first embarked on a mission to help myself heal. But please know, this is very personal and individualised to me, not you, it’s something I am lucky to be able to access (thanks to the help of many kind humans) and it’s a protocol that is fuelled with empowerment and control because I have done the research myself. There are a million more things I could be trying, trust me, I know this. This is a constant exploration and the work never stops when you have stage 4 breast cancer. I ask you not to send me direct questions about treatments or provide unsolicited advice. I have had breast cancer for 12 years, trust that I have some handle on this (even when I doubt this myself sometimes). I am sharing more and more details of various treatments through my Patreon blog, which is where you are able to ask me direct questions too.

And for the really really REALLY long version: BUY MY BOOK.

And for the full lowdown on checking your boobs/pecs/chest head here.