AS TV PRESENTER JULIA BRADBURY BEGINS MASTECTOMY RECOVERY, ASKS HOW BEST TO HELP A FRIEND OR LOVED ONE UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT A friend in need... HELP THEM CONNECT WITH OTHERS GIVE THEM A JOURNAL WHO’VE BEEN THROUGH IT
TV presenter Julia Bradbury underwent mastectomy surgery following her recent breast cancer diagnosis and her sister, Gina Bradbury Fox, has opened up about how it’s been “a complete roller-coaster”.
Gina has been by Julia’s side as much as possible. “We fluctuate from hysteria, to being in floods of tears,” she said in an interview.
Julia – known for shows like Cornwall And Devon Walks With Julia Bradbury and The One Show – has been sharing updates on Instagram. The 51-year-old expressed thanks for her sister, saying: “Gina has been an absolute rock, doing what she always does brilliantly, swinging into action, being a practical and emotional mainstay.”
The Bradbury sisters are shining a light on the emotional impact of breast cancer, and the vital role of support. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with around 55,000 women and 370 men diagnosed each year, according to Breast Cancer Now.
So, how can you support a friend going through breast cancer treatment? We asked a range of people with lived experience to share their insights...
“Help them find other people who’ve already been through it. I found the wisdom of others immensely helpful,” says cancer rehabilitation personal trainer Carolyn Garritt, author of Get Your Oomph Back: A Guide To Exercise After A Cancer Diagnosis (published by Hammersmith Press in
November), who has also been through breast cancer herself.
If you’d like to give a gift, consider a journal, suggests Leigh. “Journaling is a great way to record how you’re feeling and to keep a diary throughout,” she says.
“I practised a lot with journaling gratitude – but not forced, just really about where my head was at.”
words are unnecessary – a hug is all someone
needs and give her big hugs or help out practically, but we kept in touch via video calls and sent care packages to help make life a little easier.”