In December 2022 I received a diagnosis of breast cancer which was a shock to say the least. My mammograms had all been clear and I had no family history.
At the same time I was having issues with sciatica with weakness in my left leg and found out that I had a large cyst which was pushing against my spinal cord.
It was a toss up for which surgery to have first. My surgeons were amazing and after talking to each other I had the cyst removed first, otherwise it would have been months before I could lie on my tummy for spinal surgery if I had my breast surgery first.
So in January 2023 I had a large cyst removed from my spine. It had already attached itself to my spinal cord so it was a good decision to do that first.
Feb 2023 I had a lumpectomy which removed about half of my breast and a reduction in my other breast so they would match and I was able to have my affected breast reconstructed at the same time, so I feel very thankful that I was able to have all of this done so quickly. I had nodes removed which thankfully showed no sign of the cancer spreading. In May I had 3 weeks of radiation as extra insurance and during this time I started to get pain in my leg again. We tried steroid injections into my spine which didn’t help and I ended up having a spinal fusion in Jan 2024 and at the same time another cyst was removed that had appeared since my first surgery.
I have had to do a lot of rehab to get my body back working properly and received physio support from The Pink Ribbon foundation which was so appreciated. I was having issues lifting my left arm since my breast surgery and the physio made a huge difference.
I am slowly building up my exercise tolerance and am determined to do the 10 km walk.
I have some permanent nerve damage and pain and am learning to manage that with the hope that improving my fitness will help.
Please show your support for this Pink Ribbon fundraiser. The help I received was so appreciated and there are so many other women out there who need the same support I received
Sending all my love Jo, what a journey you have been through. Hope to see your smiling face soon x