Kate takes on The MoonWalk London after being diagnosed with breast cancer

Lily shaving Mummy's hair off

Kate’s story:

“I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of just 41. I endured nine months of treatment during 2022 and now there is no evidence of any disease. I’ve been blown away by the incredible support I’ve received from different charities and am taking on The MoonWalk London 2023 to give something back.

A couple of days after Christmas 2021, I found a large lump in my right breast. I’d always checked my breasts regularly and it can't have been more than six weeks since I'd last checked, so the lump must have grown very, very fast.

Kate and husband Gareth

At this stage, I still hoped the lump might be a cyst – in fact, it had actually shrunk a bit during the three weeks before I was seen at the breast clinic. I had a mammogram and ultrasound and during both, the indications were still that it was likely to be a cyst. However, when the doctor tried to extract fluid from the lump to confirm this, they couldn’t get any out.

Everything suddenly got more serious – I had a biopsy then and there, and was told it was highly likely I had cancer. That was on the Monday and my diagnosis was confirmed on the Friday. It was a terrible shock – we had no history at all of breast cancer in the family so my diagnosis came totally out of the blue.

Kate with children Lily and Finn before her diagnosis

I was totally overwhelmed at first. I just told my husband Gareth, my parents and mother-in-law initially, and they were incredible, helping me through some really dark times. I’ve got two young children (Lily, who was only nine and Finn who was four) and we tried to hide the turmoil we were going through as much as possible, until we knew what I was facing. Thankfully it was confirmed that the cancer had been caught early and was curable. I had five months of intensive chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy and then radiotherapy.

I decided not to use a Scalp Cooler during my chemo to prevent hair loss – I wanted as much control over the process as possible, and to avoid adding any more time to my treatment. So, my daughter shaved my hair off for me, with my son joining in too. Getting them involved was a great way to help them process my diagnosis and make it a bit of fun. 

Kate having chemo

My children kept me going more than they'll ever know - life just has to go on when you have little ones around! Gareth has been there for me every step of the way, despite having to deal with the trauma of my diagnosis himself. He's kept our family going and is my rock.

My parents live nearby and were a total lifeline too, as well as our friends and wider family I’ve come out of this all feeling very, very blessed.

I decided to sign up for the Half Moon (15.1 miles) at The MoonWalk London 2023, as I also thought a challenge would motivate me to get my fitness levels back up. I was completely wiped out after my treatment finished - just walking upstairs would send my heart racing and I'd be gasping for breath. I read about The MoonWalk last year when I was really sick, and added it to my (very long!) list of Things To Do When I'm Better! MoonWalk organisers, breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, make grants to so many fabulous organisations who support people with cancer. I benefited greatly from the work of some of these charities myself, including Maggie’s and Breast Cancer Now.

Kate post treatment

I'm also determined to raise more awareness of breast cancer, particularly amongst younger women. I ignorantly used to think of it as something mainly affecting older women, and it has been such an eye-opener to meet so many women my age and younger, who are dealing with this.

As I've talked to others my age, it worries me how complacent so many of them are about checking themselves. Of course, we all know that breast cancer exists but you need to turn that awareness into action. Checking your breasts for cancer isn’t something anyone particularly enjoys doing, but the earlier you get diagnosed, the better your chances are”.

Thank you for sharing your story Kate and we look forward to seeing you at The MoonWalk London 2023!