Courage of the M&S Magnificent Seven
Battle-scarred but smiling, breast cancer survivors pose in bras
THEIR smiles and confident poses betray nothing of what they have suffered. Instead they show the bravery of seven women who have vowed not to let breast cancer destroy them.
All have been deeply affected – six survived the disease and one lost her mother. They are now part of a campaign to raise millions to fight it.
The ShowYourStrap campaign – encouraging women to post selfies showing a bra strap – aims to prevent 9,000 cases of breast cancer a year by 2025 by raising £13million. Yesterday, the seven modelled a range of M&S underwear unveiled as part of the campaign.
Here are the inspiring stories of these incredible women (pictured above from left to right):
Olympian who triumphed
FOUR-TIME British Olympic sprinter Donna Fraser could hardly believe it when she found out she had cancer. ‘I was fit and I looked after my body and I couldn’t understand,’ she said.
The 42-year- old from Croydon found a lump in her breast in 2009. ‘It was like an out-of-body experience. But I had an inner voice that comes out when the chips are down and that got me through and made me strong.’
The life-saving blogger
IN the midst of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Helen Bliss decided to write a blog about her experience of breast cancer. The 37-year-old M&S retail manager from Northamptonshire described her highs and lows and posted pictures of her treatment.
A woman she met at a wedding had recently read her blog and decided to have a lump checked. ‘She discovered it was breast cancer,’ Helen said. ‘She told me I had saved her life. That’s an incredible feeling.’
Mum who took strength from family
THE hardest thing for Sharon Jhheent was telling her young son Arjun, 12, about her diagnosis. ‘We sat the children down and said: “Do you know what cancer is?” My son burst into tears and said: “That’s when you die”.’ The training manager, 45, from Reading, was diagnosed in 2013. She and her architect husband Suki, 47, involved Arjun and his sister Avneet, nine, throughout and it helped them survive as a family.
Fighter who found love
HANNAH GARDNER was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 26. She faced the challenge of gruelling treatment at a time when her friends were enjoying going out and socialising.
She returned to work at the Medical Research Council afterwards, her confidence low and unwilling to believe anyone would be interested in her.
Then an attractive colleague asked her out for coffee.
‘I thought he felt sorry for me,’ she said. ‘But it turns out he liked me.’ Hannah, now 29, and boyfriend Peter, also 29, have been together nearly a year-and-a-half. She plans to celebrate her 30th in style next year.
Woman who defied her family history
LEONIE SAYSELL always expected to develop cancer after her mother was diagnosed with it in her 40s. She was tested every year until 2010 when doctors discovered she had developed two tumours. The 54-year- old office manager from Leeds took the traditional medical route and had a double mastectomy due to her family history.
‘My mother was quite unconventional,’ she said.
‘She decided to treat hers holistically and with prayer. She must have done something right because she survived another 27 years. But I decided to have treatment.’
Girl who runs in memory of her inspiring mother
RACHEL CHOLERTON’S mother died of breast cancer just a month before her daughter started university. Irene Cholerton had fought the disease for five years but refused to let it dampen her enthusiasm for life. ‘My mother was amazing and a true inspiration,’ said Rachel, 23, a marketing executive from Reading. ‘She did a bike ride from Glasgow to Sheffield two months before she died.’ Rachel has taken up running in her memory.
Fundraiser who bounced back with a ‘Boob Ball’
JO OSTERMEYER was playing the sport of curling, which has been likened to bowls on ice, when she noticed a lump in her breast in 2008. The accountant, 41, from Maidstone, Kent, was diagnosed on Christmas Eve and had a mastectomy days later. After getting the all-clear, she decided to hold a ‘Boob Ball’ to raise money. ‘We had melons for a starter, chicken breasts as a main and boob-shaped pavlovas for pudding,’ she said. ‘It was was fantastic.’ The event raised £3,500.