Moments That Count has been developed and funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited. It has been created in collaboration with secondary breast cancer patients whose knowledge and insights have informed the content and direction for the campaign.
Living with Breast Cancer and the Moments That Count
Living with Breast Cancer and the Moments That Count
Living with Breast Cancer and the Moments That Count
Living with Breast Cancer and the Moments That Count
Representation of breast cancer often focuses on the extremes, overlooking the smaller, quieter moments that many women living with the disease experience every day. These moments matter and hold significance both physically and emotionally, whatever stage of the journey they are on.
“On the outside I may look well. I enjoy wearing dresses, doing my hair, wearing makeup. Not only because I am a girly girl, but it helps me feel better even if I am having a bad day. But underneath, it all shows a different story. Like this picture shows, behind the glamorous side there is a lot going on. This cupboard is revealing what it is like. Open it up and inside are the medications keeping me alive. Medication I take daily to enable me to get out of bed in the morning. Without it I would be unable to do most things. Remember don’t judge a book by its cover as you never know what is inside”.
“Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of paralysis across my entire body when I was told that I had secondary breast cancer. Life stopped in that moment. Scanxiety still consumes me from the moment that I get my scan appointment right through until I receive the results. In that moment I feel like my life is in someone else’s hands, knowing everything could change depending on the results.”
“Appointment number 157 and all good. It’s not been easy over the years, all the treatments, losing hair, the different surgeries & radiotherapies… I do it all for my children.“
“This is the entrance to the breast care unit; a threshold that I never want to cross again. Self-examination brought me here a few years ago for investigations and I experienced a strong adverse physical reaction to this place.”
“With my nursing and care team, we always hug when we first see each other in the unit and before I leave when I say goodbye until the next time – exactly like I would with my daughter or my sister.”
“I’ve slowly, year by year, started to find glimmers of myself before cancer. It has definitely made me less tolerant of certain things though as life is way too short to sweat the small stuff. I might have secondary breast cancer, but I am also a mum, a wife, a businesswoman and cancer can’t take that away.”
"Being unable to have a family of my own due to my fertility being taken from the cancer, I have treasured the chance to be an auntie and watch my nephew and niece grow. I never thought I would be here to see the day they would be old enough to say my name or come for sleepovers, but it is magical. I now want to be here for as long as I can for them."
“I always find getting out for a walk with my dog is only ever a positive thing when I am not feeling great. I quite like to walk alone with him. There is a patch of common / woodland near me and I like to go there and just wander along and breathe in the fresh air and look at the trees and flowers and listen to the birds. I find that focusing on the dog and where he is running about helps me to pull my mind into the moment and away from the horrible stuff.”
“People think I am this strong person, and I am. But I need emotional support just like everyone else.”
“I treasure the time and memories I make with those I care about more these days. Living in the moment isn’t as easy as it sounds but it’s something that I try hard to embrace. Life really isn’t a dress rehearsal.”
“Sometimes I struggle to sleep with pain / fear / worries / sickness. At these moments I feel isolated and very alone in the world, which is a really horrible feeling. I have a new partner who I have met since having cancer and this picture sums up perfectly what he means to me. I am sound asleep with his arm around me – safety and security.”
“You quickly realise how important and impactful a small piece of paper with the words stable on can become when you live 3 months at a time, scan to scan.
'Scanxiety is real and so I am thankful for another 3 months to live life, which is huge relief after feeling so anxious.”
“As the years have gone on my hair has regrown and slowly, I have learnt how to be proud of my body and what it has gone through as opposed to hating it.”
“The fundamental change in my body is clearly seen in these before and after mastectomy images. When I was diagnosed, I had 34GG breasts; eighteen months later I had none. I used to wear huge bras, which constricted my everyday life, especially during exercise. I no longer wear bras which is so freeing and liberating.”
“I’m a founder of 2 organisations, I work 7 days a week to support these but still I am able to enjoy life’s moments.”
“Thankful I can travel and explore the world with the time I have been given.”
