Gemma's story
It was February 2020, and I was in the bath when I found the lump. Deep down, I knew straight away. Within 12 hours, I was sitting in my GP’s office, and by the next morning, I was on the two-week referral pathway. The waiting was unbearable. Every second felt heavy, and with the world on the brink of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything seemed even more isolating. I was a recently single mum, navigating a storm I never saw coming. My world suddenly felt incredibly small.
In those early days, I found solace in online support groups. I devoured every piece of information I could find, trying to prepare myself for what was to come.
After a biopsy confirmed my diagnosis, I faced the reality of surgery. I wasn’t alone in that waiting room—there, I met two incredible women who were walking the same path. We were strangers brought together by a shared experience, and in that moment, we understood each other in a way no one else could.
That’s the thing about cancer—until you’ve lived it, you can never truly grasp the weight of it. People mean well, offering support and kind words, but nothing compares to the connection you form with someone who just gets it. Those women became my lifeline, and I genuinely don’t know how I would have gotten through it without them.
My diagnosis was stage 1, grade 3. I was relieved to avoid chemotherapy, but I still had a long road ahead—15 rounds of radiotherapy and a decade of medication that would abruptly force me into menopause. I underestimated just how brutal that would be. The physical and emotional toll was overwhelming. It wasn’t just about managing symptoms; it was about redefining who I was in a body that no longer felt like mine.
Cancer is terrifying. It shakes you to your core. But through it, something incredible happened—I found my people. And in that, I found strength, purpose, and a kind of support I never knew existed.
In the midst of it all, I started my Instagram account. At first, it was a space to document my journey, a way to reach out and see if anyone else felt the same. But what I found was something far greater—connection, friendship, and a community of women who lifted each other up and laughed at the journey together.
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