Historia Mandy May, która przeżyła raka piersi: Jak zamienić cytryny w lemoniadę
Zastrzeżenie: Know Your Lemons głęboko ceni i szanuje doświadczenia i historie dzielone przez pacjentki z rakiem piersi. Porady, stwierdzenia lub fakty przedstawione w tych narracjach niekoniecznie muszą być zgodne z wiedzą medyczną lub mieć uniwersalne zastosowanie w sytuacji każdej osoby. Rak piersi jest złożonym i wysoce zindywidualizowanym schorzeniem, a chociaż historie te dostarczają cennych informacji i wsparcia emocjonalnego, nie powinny zastępować profesjonalnej porady medycznej ani leczenia. W sprawie diagnozy, leczenia i postępowania w przypadku raka piersi należy zawsze konsultować się z wykwalifikowanym lekarzem w celu uzyskania spersonalizowanych wskazówek i podjęcia decyzji. Know Your Lemons zachęca do współpracy między pacjentami, opiekunami i lekarzami w celu zapewnienia najlepszej możliwej opieki i wyników leczenia osobom dotkniętym rakiem piersi.
Mandy is an aesthetician from Warwickshire, UK. Since her diagnosis in 2020, she has made it her mission to help others and to find the good in the bad. As an aesthetician, Mandy does eyebrows for ladies going through chemotherapy and skin treatments. Occasionally radiotherapy patients will come in with tattooed markers on their skin and she turns them into freckles free of charge for them. Currently she is training to do 3D realistic nipple tattoos for anyone who has been through breast cancer surgery and she is going to do this free of charge! She also has set up a local breast cancer support group in her area helping other ladies who are going through or have been through a breast cancer journey. Surviving breast cancer made Mandy realize that she had missed out on so many amazing opportunities due to fear. Water was one of her biggest fears, but overcoming breast cancer encouraged her to face her fear head on. The week after she finished treatment, she went to Mexico to snorkel alongside sea turtles! We are so grateful for Mandy's amazing example of living life to it's fullest after diagnosis through enjoying each moment and helping others through education and support.
Mandy has agreed to share her story with us to help encourage people to take care of their breast health.
Here is her story…
My name is Mandy May and I was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.
When I was 42, I found a lump in my left breast by my nipple, which was just through regular checking. I had been back and forth to the doctors about terrible sweating in the night, I would wake up soaked. I didn’t feel well and I just knew something wasn’t right. I had blood tests and my white cell blood count came back very low. I saw a hematologist who said it wasn’t just how my body functioned and nothing to worry about. I was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. After that, the night sweats stopped and I haven’t had them since. As of today, I am really healthy and in a good place and living and appreciating my life more than ever before.
Two and a half years ago, I started blogging my journey on instagram. And then 18 months ago, I set up a local breast cancer support group in Leamington Spa where I live. Every month I have events where a group of lovely ladies who unfortunately have had breast cancer come along and we have coffee and cake, and share advice with each other.
My aim has always been to help others and to raise awareness about breast cancer. I regularly share Know Your Lemons posts because they're really informative and educational. And it's so important that you do regularly check. My advice to you is get to Know Your Lemons!