SURVIVORS SHARE THEIR
Boob job saved my life I wouldn’t let
A CANCER diagnosis would make most people suddenly believe their days could be numbered.
But if symptoms are caught early, more and more victims can survive the killer disease.
Now cancer survivor Fiona Goldsby has launched the Macmillan Awareness Calendar by support group the Merry Macs of Lincoln, featuring monthly photographs of brave survivors of different types of the disease.
And on the back of each is a list of signs, symptoms and vital contact numbers to help people detect it early and save more lives.
Remarkable
It is the first time a calendar like this has been produced and it is due to be on sale at Marks & Spencer to raise money for Macmillan.
Fiona, 41, from Lincoln, who battled a brain tumour, said: “I wanted to create a calendar that would help people and save lives and raise funds. All of us have a story to tell, we have been through the worst and have come out the other side with a new outlook on life.”
Here some of the remarkable cancer survivors who appear in the calendar share their inspirational tales of survival. months after the birth her left breast was removed as a precaution. But cancer was to strike again. She saw a chiropractor for hip and back trouble in 2014. He spotted a mole he was not happy with and booked her a doctor’s appointment that day. Kelly was diagnosed with skin cancer.
“It was the cancer that had caused the pain and I had the mole and a large section of skin removed,” she says. “I couldn’t believe I had cancer again.
Sunbathed
When the choice is between survival and the dream of being a mother, many cancer sufferers find themselves in Catch 22.
With many surgeries and treatments affecting fertility, becoming a parent can seem out of the question.
But Robyn Crowder, September in the calendar, beat cervical cancer and is still set on being a mum.
She says: “In my early 20s I had been having symptoms of cervical cancer but didn’t realise, which shows how important this calendar is. I got it checked out but was fobbed off because of my age.
“In 2011 I turned 25 and went for my first smear test. The first one came back abnormal which is very common so I went for a second one six months later, which was also abnormal. Next they found pre-cancerous cells.
“I was treated for this and five weeks later went back for a follow-up appointment, I was aware the procedure I had was routine and made the biggest mistake of my life by going alone to get the