Sally Whittaker has breast cancer in real life...

Steph, you’re not bitter & twisted at all. I actually agree with you and was just trying to put forward a balancing view. Personally I’d have liked her to say “chemo is really rough, but you get through it because you have to” … before going on to say that she was now feeling “really really well”. I will not have to go through chemo, just radiotherapy to follow my WLE & SNB. But … I know how very fortunate I am and I stress that fact to everyone who asks after me.

My personal bugbear is the requirement to “be positive”. When I’ve mentioned having concerns about SEs, recurrence etc, its un-bloody-believable to be told that thinking that way is likely to be a self-fulfilling prophecy! But I’ve had that happen twice already and I was only diagnosed in March this year. The other aspect of this is that being positive is more about protecting other people from the rubbish and harsh facts than it is to do with us. Of course we’re all doing our damndest to face this head on and with a PMA, but blind optimism and ignorance aren’t the way forward for everyone facing tough times in ordinary life, so why should it be de rigeur when you have BC?

Its probably best I don’t get up onto my pink 'n fluffy hobbyhorse …

Debs x

Oh & Steph, have loads of hugs for the next 3 months of chemo. I know it can’t help much, but have them anyway, 'cos you’ve earned them.

Debs xx

If anyone wants to contact gmtv about doing interviews with women at all stages of bc, this is the page for emailing:

gm.tv/contact-us/41042-enquiry.html

I have emailed but lots of you are much better with words than me.

Thanks Debs for the cyber hugs! I agree with all you say. My pet hate is the idea that one has to ‘fight’ cancer. Not quite sure what that means as it sounds like you have to do something terribly active instead of just laying back and letting the chemo and radiation flow through you. I suppose it means not becoming depressed or something. Another is ‘chin up’ Grrrr!

BTW, I consider myself lucky to only have it in one node.