‘THE POWER OF POSITIVITY HELPED ME’

Denise Coates, 59, has a partner and son. She lives in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire and works in sales.

‘I was thrilled my messages of hope were helping others slay cancer’

‘I’ve always been optimistic and when I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Christmas Eve 2015, I vowed it wouldn’t overshadow the holidays. Yet my resolve nearly slipped when I broke the news to my son Jamie, then 21.

‘You’re going to be all right,’ he promised.

‘How can you be so sure?’ I asked, blindsided by his calm response. Jamie smiled. ‘I just know.’ I hoped he was right and, having benefited from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the past, I knew that a positive mindset would be vital if I was going to survive breast cancer.

As I faced three surgeries and radiotherapy, whenever I had a moment of self-doubt, I pushed those thoughts away and told myself I would be okay. I also focused on taking care of myself by eating well, getting enough sleep and reading books about hope and survival.

I wanted to share my optimism so I started blogging. I wrote about not being too hard on yourself, the importance of self-care, and creating awareness for future generations to come! My messages of positivity began to spread and I was inundated with messages from people battling cancer, thanking me for being so positive and honest.

It was like a chain reaction; the more messages I received, the stronger I felt. But it was more than that; I was thrilled my messages of hope were helping others like me slay cancer and I wanted to continue that help. Once my treatment was over and with my boobs still intact, I vowed to spread the message that breast cancer is treatable. I became a volunteer fundraiser for my local hospital’s breast cancer unit, as well as a guest speaker. Now I’ve been cancer-free for five years and have written a book, inspired by the blog I started all those

years ago. It’s a collection of survival stories about what it’s like to beat cancer, because together, we are stronger.’

• Conquering Cancer Together (Book Guild Publishing) by Denise Coates is out now