Hi Folks,
Last night myself and around 23 other ladies strutted (well I tried too!!) their stuff along a catwalk with all of the Breast Care team at the local hospital St Helens NHS Trust. I myself when asked would I like to take part asked if I could wear a mastectomy swimsuit, as all I have wanted to do is to swim. Obviously I have had to wait for chemo, op and rads to be complete before I could. I am a rather round size 18/20 from a 14/16 and have put on some 3stone in weight since starting my treatment a year ago this week. Two other luscious and thin ladies supported me and wore their bikinis, one who is part way through reconstructive surgery, one who has not long started chemo and will have surgery later and me who has had a mastectomy and waiting to start the process for recon. Lots of beautiful ladies (sorry but no males were in the catwalk on this occasion but plenty of supporters) wore clothes and local college students did makeup and a salon, hair/wigs. I have lost some confidence in the way I look now, if you saw me before you would understand why and I dont just mean the loss of a breast (that was a walk in the park !!) I felt so blessed to be in the company of such inspirational people from us the patients to all of the staff, oncologist, surgeons, nurses, reception all levels of staff involved in our care who took time to be there to support us in the event. It made me realise again how wonderful and extremely beautiful we are both inside and out, dispite this horrid disease. A boost of confidence I am normal and as I said last night this is a new me and boy are we having fun again. To see everyone at differing stages again reminded me that one day we will be albeit a new normal but we will return to a more familiar us one day. If anything is happening in your area I urge you to take part as eveyone had such fun and shed the occasional tear too but mostly smiles all round, more new exciting chapters for us all to add to our little books of life!!! xxx