SCOTLAND’S only dedicated breast cancer research unit has launched a fundraising initiative – One Day.
They are asking supporters to choose a day when they will attempt to raise the cost of funding the lifesaving research the unit carries out on that One Day.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Scotland research unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh needs £2200 of donations daily to fund scientists’ search for new and better treatments.
One Day supporters register online to fund their day, and theirs alone to remember, celebrate and make a difference.
Here, three women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer reveal what day they will choose – and open their hearts about why the work of the Breakthrough charity’s scientists is so important to them.
They also reveal their One Day wish for breast cancer.
KIRSTY Grierson will always remember November 5 – it was the day her mum Julie broke the news she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Her One Day wish is that no other family will have to live under the same shadow that cancer cast across hers.
Kirsty, of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, was just 15 when, on November 5, 2005, her parents confirmed her worst fears.
Tests revealed mum-of-three Julie carried the BRAC 1 gene, meaning she had an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Just two months after finding out she carried the faulty gene, she found the cancerous lump in her breast.
Kirsty said: “I was in fourth year at school and in the middle of my prelim exams. I knew there was something going on with mum. My mum and dad sat my two brothers and me down and told us mum had been diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Kirsty, now 22 and working as an account executive with an Edinburgh public relations firm, remembers breaking down in tears as she was told the news.
But she said her mum remained upbeat.
And now, seven years on, as Kirsty prepares to undergo genetic testing to find out if she too carries the BRAC 1 gene, she says it is having her mum by her side that keeps her strong.
Kirsty said: “I do remember there being difficult days.
“But mum and dad tried to keep things as normal as possible.
“As a family it brought us closer together and from the beginning mum’s attitude was, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s beat this.’
“We never saw mum’s diagnosis as a death sentence but rather something that we needed to deal with and beat.
“Mum had to have a double mastectomy and it was hard to watch her go through chemotherapy but she was so strong and so brave that she has taught me not to live in fear of the disease.”
AFTER 10 months of battling cancer, August 12 marked an important step in Julie Grierson’s life.
It was the day the mum-of-three returned to work – notably as an oncology nurse at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, within the Western General Hospital.
Julie – Kirsty’s mum – was diagnosed with breast cancer just months after tests revealed she carried the BRAC 1 gene – which meant she had an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Following her cancer diagnosis, Julie, now 48, of South Queensferry, had both breasts removed, full reconstruction surgery, six months of chemotherapy and then had her ovaries removed in a pre-emptive bid to stop her getting ovarian cancer.
Now, as her daughter Kirsty prepares to undergo genetic testing, Julie’s One Day wish is that none of her children have inherited the faulty gene.
Julie, who was just 41 when she was diagnosed with cancer, said: “My dad’s mum had breast cancer, my aunt had breast cancer and ovarian cancer,
my cousins suffered breast and ovarian cancer and even my dad died from prostate cancer, so as a family we did wonder what was going on.
“When tests revealed I had the BRAC 1 gene it was a shock but at the same time we suspected there might be some kind of genetic link.
“Knowing I had this gene meant everything happened very quickly when I did find a lump in my breast and, even though it turned out to be an aggressive type of cancer, it had not spread anywhere.
“Years ago we didn’t have this genetic knowledge and it is only because of the research that has been carried out that families like mine now know about this gene, which not only makes both you and your doctor more aware but gives you choices about steps you might want to take to prevent the disease.”
Julie admits that while she and husband George, 52, put on a brave face for their three children – Craig, now 25, Kirsty and Calum, 19 – she often found recovery tough.
And she says feeling well enough to return to work – and helping other cancer patients – was a major step.
She said: “Looking back I probably did return to work too soon but at the time it was hugely important to me to get back to work, as there had been days when I feared I never would.
“Being ill and off work can leave you feeling pretty scared and vulnerable and you lose your confidence about the job you do.
“I actually found the emotional side of my recovery harder than going through the treatment itself and getting back to work was a really big day for me.”
She added: “My One Day wish is that my children haven’t inherited the BRAC 1 gene and that the research Breakthrough is carrying out will stop any other families being touched by cancer in the same way my family has.
AS Gaynor Salisbury battles secondary breast cancer, the One Day she has chosen to raise funds for research does not relate to her own battle – but to the birthday of her late mum.
Gaynor, 51, realised a lifetime ambition in 2008 when she opened Loopy Lorna’s tearoom in Morningside, Edinburgh.
She named the cafe in memory of her mum, Lorna Salisbury, who she said not only loved tea, cake and scones but taught her to enjoy the “loopy” side of life.
Mum-of-two Gaynor was diagnosed with breast cancer just two months after opening Loopy Lorna’s.
She received the news on Christmas Eve 2008 and underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But Gaynor says just as she named her business in memory of her mum, she wants her One Day to remember the woman who inspired her. Gaynor, of Edinburgh, said: “When I found the lump in my breast it was quite big and the cancer had gone into my lymph nodes so I knew there was a good chance it could have spread.
“Initially my treatment seemed to have gone well but in June last year I discovered it had spread to my ovaries, and now it is in my liver.
“People think cancer is something that is never going to happen to them but unfortunately I know it does.
“You just have to get on with living your life as best you can and hope that new treatments can be found.”
Gaynor says her daughter Haneka, 20, and son Rowan, 16, help keep her strong.
She said: “Any mum wants to be there to see their children grow up, watch them graduate, see them achieve what they want to achieve in life.
“That is my aim too.
“I do find it very uplifting to hear the great work our cancer scientists are doing and the breakthroughs they are making.
“My One Day wish is that this work will continue and keep giving people like me real hope.”
They are asking supporters to choose a day when they will attempt to raise the cost of funding the lifesaving research the unit carries out on that One Day.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Scotland research unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh needs £2200 of donations daily to fund scientists’ search for new and better treatments.
One Day supporters register online to fund their day, and theirs alone to remember, celebrate and make a difference.
Here, three women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer reveal what day they will choose – and open their hearts about why the work of the Breakthrough charity’s scientists is so important to them.
They also reveal their One Day wish for breast cancer.
KIRSTY Grierson will always remember November 5 – it was the day her mum Julie broke the news she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Her One Day wish is that no other family will have to live under the same shadow that cancer cast across hers.
Kirsty, of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, was just 15 when, on November 5, 2005, her parents confirmed her worst fears.
Tests revealed mum-of-three Julie carried the BRAC 1 gene, meaning she had an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Just two months after finding out she carried the faulty gene, she found the cancerous lump in her breast.
Kirsty said: “I was in fourth year at school and in the middle of my prelim exams. I knew there was something going on with mum. My mum and dad sat my two brothers and me down and told us mum had been diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Kirsty, now 22 and working as an account executive with an Edinburgh public relations firm, remembers breaking down in tears as she was told the news.
But she said her mum remained upbeat.
And now, seven years on, as Kirsty prepares to undergo genetic testing to find out if she too carries the BRAC 1 gene, she says it is having her mum by her side that keeps her strong.
Kirsty said: “I do remember there being difficult days.
“But mum and dad tried to keep things as normal as possible.
“As a family it brought us closer together and from the beginning mum’s attitude was, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s beat this.’
“We never saw mum’s diagnosis as a death sentence but rather something that we needed to deal with and beat.
“Mum had to have a double mastectomy and it was hard to watch her go through chemotherapy but she was so strong and so brave that she has taught me not to live in fear of the disease.”
AFTER 10 months of battling cancer, August 12 marked an important step in Julie Grierson’s life.
It was the day the mum-of-three returned to work – notably as an oncology nurse at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, within the Western General Hospital.
Julie – Kirsty’s mum – was diagnosed with breast cancer just months after tests revealed she carried the BRAC 1 gene – which meant she had an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Following her cancer diagnosis, Julie, now 48, of South Queensferry, had both breasts removed, full reconstruction surgery, six months of chemotherapy and then had her ovaries removed in a pre-emptive bid to stop her getting ovarian cancer.
Now, as her daughter Kirsty prepares to undergo genetic testing, Julie’s One Day wish is that none of her children have inherited the faulty gene.
Julie, who was just 41 when she was diagnosed with cancer, said: “My dad’s mum had breast cancer, my aunt had breast cancer and ovarian cancer,
my cousins suffered breast and ovarian cancer and even my dad died from prostate cancer, so as a family we did wonder what was going on.
“When tests revealed I had the BRAC 1 gene it was a shock but at the same time we suspected there might be some kind of genetic link.
“Knowing I had this gene meant everything happened very quickly when I did find a lump in my breast and, even though it turned out to be an aggressive type of cancer, it had not spread anywhere.
“Years ago we didn’t have this genetic knowledge and it is only because of the research that has been carried out that families like mine now know about this gene, which not only makes both you and your doctor more aware but gives you choices about steps you might want to take to prevent the disease.”
Julie admits that while she and husband George, 52, put on a brave face for their three children – Craig, now 25, Kirsty and Calum, 19 – she often found recovery tough.
And she says feeling well enough to return to work – and helping other cancer patients – was a major step.
She said: “Looking back I probably did return to work too soon but at the time it was hugely important to me to get back to work, as there had been days when I feared I never would.
“Being ill and off work can leave you feeling pretty scared and vulnerable and you lose your confidence about the job you do.
“I actually found the emotional side of my recovery harder than going through the treatment itself and getting back to work was a really big day for me.”
She added: “My One Day wish is that my children haven’t inherited the BRAC 1 gene and that the research Breakthrough is carrying out will stop any other families being touched by cancer in the same way my family has.
AS Gaynor Salisbury battles secondary breast cancer, the One Day she has chosen to raise funds for research does not relate to her own battle – but to the birthday of her late mum.
Gaynor, 51, realised a lifetime ambition in 2008 when she opened Loopy Lorna’s tearoom in Morningside, Edinburgh.
She named the cafe in memory of her mum, Lorna Salisbury, who she said not only loved tea, cake and scones but taught her to enjoy the “loopy” side of life.
Mum-of-two Gaynor was diagnosed with breast cancer just two months after opening Loopy Lorna’s.
She received the news on Christmas Eve 2008 and underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But Gaynor says just as she named her business in memory of her mum, she wants her One Day to remember the woman who inspired her. Gaynor, of Edinburgh, said: “When I found the lump in my breast it was quite big and the cancer had gone into my lymph nodes so I knew there was a good chance it could have spread.
“Initially my treatment seemed to have gone well but in June last year I discovered it had spread to my ovaries, and now it is in my liver.
“People think cancer is something that is never going to happen to them but unfortunately I know it does.
“You just have to get on with living your life as best you can and hope that new treatments can be found.”
Gaynor says her daughter Haneka, 20, and son Rowan, 16, help keep her strong.
She said: “Any mum wants to be there to see their children grow up, watch them graduate, see them achieve what they want to achieve in life.
“That is my aim too.
“I do find it very uplifting to hear the great work our cancer scientists are doing and the breakthroughs they are making.
“My One Day wish is that this work will continue and keep giving people like me real hope.”
1 comments:
Thank you so much for this inspirational story! I have a friend who works at the salisbury health center who found out a couple of months ago that her aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was heartbroken but she took care of her aunt and now after treatment her aunt's cancer has stopped spreading and she is doing well.
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