Cancer messed with the wrong chick

Author: Christina B

Dear breast cancer,

You are a great leveller. You delivered your verdict to me two weeks before my 40th birthday last year. I had spent all year planning my party and you thought you could rob my joy. You didn't manage, it was still amazing and not a pity party. You instantly made me stop worrying about being 40. I don't care about being 40 now, I love it and desperately want to be 41, would feel honoured to be 50 and to be 65 would be amazing.

Breast cancer I'm not changing myself to accommodate you, I even told my surgeon he should move a mini procedure as it interfered with my party plans. He moved it.

Breast cancer you think you can take away friends and leave me lonely, you can't. I've met an amazing group of women online all under 45 who have breast cancer. Our sisterhood Is amazing and I wake up and log in just to connect with them and despite never having met them empathise and connect with them in a away I didn't know was possible.

So breast cancer you think you can make me less of a woman by having my breast removed, well I'm now going to be a national model on a London catwalk in front of celebrities friends and family to raise money and awareness. I'm going to be looking glamorous as I will have a professional fashion and make up stylist and I will rock that catwalk.

Breast cancer you think you can make me bald with the chemo, I was wearing false hair before you came along and I can rock a wig like you wouldn't believe. When the chemo nurse told me I would lose my hair I laughed and pointed to my red wig on my head saying this is a wig darling!!

Breast cancer so you think you can put fear and sadness on my son who is the centre of my world? Well breast cancer since diagnosis he has been so kind to me and our relationship is stronger than ever. We do things we never used to do and laugh and hug so so much more. He's almost a teenager but his favourite place is still lying on my stomach with me stroking his cheek. He knows compassion, he has maturity beyond his years.

Breast cancer you've opened my eyes, you've made me hungry for the life I want. You can keep my old life I'm not yearning for it, I'm going to be a new normal a better version of the old me...