Have you booked a place on the Younger Women's Forum in London?

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Hi

 

Booked a place on the Younger Women’s Forum in London but worried about going alone?

 

Every year we receive queries from women, including concerns about coming along to the Forum on their own. Feedback from previous forums has said how helpful it was to talk on the Forums before the event.
This thread is a chance for you to say hello and “meet” others attending the Forum. I will check in regularly and if you have any questions do let me know and I will do my best to answer them.

 

Look forward to meeting you in November.

Steph

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… well I have :smileyhappy: - I booked my spot waaaay back in April/May because I was desperate!

 

My story is that I’m a Danish girl, 43 years old who have lived in Holland, UK, Canada and now back in the UK again for the last 18 years.

 

I am (happily!) married and have three kids - boy/girl twins 12 1/2 years old and a girl just turned 10.

 

I was diagnosed in May of 2012 and I am triple positive - I will have my very last (ever!- thank you very much!!!) Herceptin treatment the day before we all meet.

 

Ok, so diagnosed in May, operated in June (mastectomy), chemo started August - finished end of November, radiation started mid December and then moved here in March … if anyone else should ever ask you if it is a good idea to move right after treatment tell them that maybe - just maybe - they should give it a few months and preferably a year.

 

However, the reason for our move here was mine - shortly after diagnosis I told my husband that we had to move back here. We had no family close by - everyone was in Europe and we were in Canada - and my husband worked 4000 km away so was only home on weekends.

 

I was scared - very very scared.

 

My sister-in-law died from breastcancer in 2007 - 44 years old and I had worked for a couple of years at the local hospice in Canada so I only knew death with breast cancer - I had never ever seen what living after breast cancer looked like.

 

Those were dark dark days … months … well it was a dark year!

 

I started anti depressive medication in December and I can finally say that after tweeking it for the longest of time I do believe they are working!

 

I am finally starting to believe I might have a chance here and I can honestly say I no longer think about cancer 24/7 … I have many hours where I am blissfully happy :slight_smile:

 

The desperation that led me to this forum which I signed up for within minutes of having read about it - was that leaving Canada I felt very very lonely. Not only did I have to say goodbye to dear friends but I had to say goodbye to my cancer buddies. I had a large network of younger women in Ottawa and we would meet every month … I loved that - we cried, we understood and we laughed …

 

Since moving here I haven’t met any cancer buddies really. Oh how I miss a good cancer buddy - someone who just gets it - understand without having to explain …

 

So no pressure girls - but I’m really counting on you :slight_smile:

 

Can’t wait to meet you all,

With love,

Birgitte

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Hiya I’m a little worried about attending
I was recently diagnosed and had treatment and I think I’m ok, but have difficulty talking about it all. It would be nice to meet other ladies in my position, anf I’m hoping the forum will have positive outcomes…?it is a bit daunting going by myself for a weekend

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hello ladies
I am looking forward to meeting you all. I feel like it is a huge step to go away by myself especially as my confidence has had such a knocking but I attended a breast cancer care moving forward course in September and gained so much from other ladies who just " get it". I’m hoping that the same positives will come from the forum. I have had great support from my friends and family but no one quite understands unless you have had to endure the roller coaster of treatments.
I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in October 2012 and have had every treatment possible as this is such a rare and extremely aggressive form of breast cancer. I am still having herceptin every 3 weeks but I feel I have just emerged from a 12 month nightmare and am slowly picking up the pieces. I have two amazing little boys aged 8 and 10 and they have kept me going.
It is daunting to go away but I am hoping that the experience will help with the confidence and pick up some more pieces.
Here’s to helping each other!
juliex

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Hi all, I’m 45 and just about scraping into the forum before i’m considered too old :-)  I was diagnosed with BC in December 2011 and spent most of 2012 having two lumpectomies (as they didn’t get it all first time round), followed by 6 sessions of chemo every 3 weeks and then 25 sessions of radiotherapy, with my last treatment on 24Aug12.  I’ve taken part in the Moving Forward sessions held in Bournemouth, but thought it would be valuable to join in with the Younger Womens Forum to just ‘get away’ from where I live and experience a different outlook from women in other parts of the country!  I still can’t quite believe how much I’m still being affected by the events of last year and I hope that this weekend will help me get my head around the long term implications and impact to my emotions and health.  Can’t say I find it easy to start talking to people, but as we’ll all be there because we feel we want to get something out of the weekend, I’m sure we’ll all be just fine :-)  looking forward to meeting you lovely ladies, Gx

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Hi, I’m new here. When is the forum? Has it already happened as I would be interested in finding out more.
Many thanks,
Nicky

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Hi everyone

I’m really looking forward to meeting you all and sharing our experiences, as much as I have a great support network, its not quite the same as people who are going through it too :slight_smile:

I’ve had a rollercoaster ride so far, 2012 in many ways was the best and worst year of my life! Best because of the arrival of my (only) daughter & worst because, 8 months later, in November, that was shattered with a breast cancer diagnosis. I was still feeding my little one, so cancer hadn’t even entered my head as a possibility.

Fast forward a year, and I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere - not before time! I’ve had a lumpectomy, two re-excisions, chemo, mastectomy and radiotherapy and am just about to embark on the tamoxifen journey. My cancer was ER +, HER - and quite large, 4cm, plus an additional 4cm that they got with the mastectomy. Lately, the fertility issue, both in terms of my cycle returning to normal (it hasn’t yet post chemo), and the potential damage I’ve done by completing IVF for future use (the consultants at the time I don’t think realised the size and extent of my cancer) and it is really worrying me.

I’d really love to hear how others have dealt with the stress and their experiences.

Looking forward to meeting you all in a few weeks.

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Hi I was diagnosed in May 2011 at the age of 36 (I had three young childen aged 8, 6 & 19wks old & luckily a supportive husband). It all happened very quickly, I was diagnosed on a Fri then had a single Mastectomy 4 days later, followed by chemo, herceptin, full node clearance (as 2 out of 5 samples taken were found to be cancerous), radiotherapy & I also take tamoxifen. I had delayed reconstruction in Feb this year and I’m really pleased with the results. I’m nervous coming along on my own but I know we’re all in the same boat (in more ways than one) & I really look forward to meeting you all.

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Hi zjlruss and welcome to the BCC forums
In addition to the shared experiences and support here please feel free to call our helpliners for practical and emotional support on 0808 800 6000, lines are open weekdays 9-5 and Sat 10-2

Here’s a link to the younger women specific information and support from BCC:

breastcancercare.org.uk/younger-women?utm_source=Homepage&%3Butm_medium=help_you&%3Butm_campaign=younger_women

Take care
Lucy BCC

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Looking forward to meeting lots of ladies at the forum. If you fancy joining in on facebook we have also set up an event as part of our Younger Breast Cancer Network - as there are a few of us from the group going.

 

See you all in a couple of weeks :slight_smile:

 

Rachael

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Oh - and i am travelling from nr Peterborough and will be getting there on the train, if any one wants to travel together…

 

Rach

x

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@ everythingisro - No problem I’d be more than happy to talk to you about my reconstruction (I had a LD Backflap recon), I’m currently on the waiting list for my nipple reconstruction so will hopefully soon have the complete new look! 

 

Rachel I’m travelling from Audley End which the Cambridge trains run through to Liverpool Street - will you travel through this station from Peterborough?  I’ve tried looking on fb for the Younger Womens Forum but can only find one group (with 15 members) but not sure if that is the one you’re referring to?. Please can you let me know exact name of the group & I’ll do another search :smileyhappy: Thank you Zoe

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Zoe - I will be coming in on the Peterborough train…I hope you managed to find our YBCN group…

Looking forward to meeting you  all in London :slight_smile:

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Hi everyone

Looking forward to meeting you all and also hearing about recon options, I’m also at that point in my treatment.

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Hi, how do I book a place for the London forum?

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Hi everyone… Just been offered a place at the London forum… Feeling nervous about travelling alone but looking forward to meeting you all. Is anyone else travelling down on Thursday evening? I’m coming from suffolk.

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Hi I see some of you are travelling down on the Thurs eve - have you been given details of the hotel we’re staying in on the Fri night? I know the forum is being held in Southwark but apart from that I’ve not received any further details so was hoping I may receive more information this wk (I’m hoping I’ve not missed an email??)

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Lovely thank you very much. I only received an email on the 6th Sept offering me a place as someone had dropped out so maybe that’s the reason. Look forward to seeing you all x

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Hi all. Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow. I may be a little late as need to do school run first. Coming on my own but know a few of you through YBCN so looking forward to putting faces to names! My bc story… I was diagnosed aged 39 in sept 11. At the time I had a 7, 5 and 9 month old. Had wle, chemo, rads and now on zoladex and arimidex. Xxx

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Hi all,
I hope you all have a lovely time this weekend. I’m really gutted I can’t come unfortunately the forum is only available to those with a primary diagnoses of bc. I found out in sept iv got secondary in my bones at only 34, my primary was two years ago when my daughter was 5 months old. If anyone would like to get in contact with me, I would love to hear from you I don’t really know anyone my age going through this.