Follow the light

"I won't let pain turn my heart into something ugly. I will show you that surviving can be beautiful" - Christy Ann Martine

 

There was a time where I was having 3-weekly Herceptin injections in my leg as part of my cancer treatment. It's now been 6 months since I had my last - I cannot believe how fast time has gone and I am so thankful for my body bouncing back as well as it has - I feel incredibly lucky.

Herceptin injections are subcutaneous and kept under the skin for approximately 8-minutes. I had one every three weeks for a whole year so that was 18 of these jabs and a total of 90ml of the drug.

It was given at the start of active treatment alongside chemotherapy because the breast cancer I had was HER2+ (Herceptin is more effective when started alongside chemo and then it's continued after chemo ends)

I started chemo & Herceptin in Feb 2019, finished chemo in May 2019, started daily radiotherapy in July 2019 & finished a month later.. and now I've had over a full year treatment-free and every day is a blessing.

Only daily Tamoxifen tablets now to keep my oestrogen levels low, which I'm on for life so no celebratory end in sight for that, but that's okay.

I knew I wouldn't miss the treatment, (and I haven't!) but I fondly remember all the wonderful, warm, compassionate & interesting people I met in the healthcare profession along the way - those who truly love what they do and go out of their way to make you feel as normal & cared for as possible.

 

Thanks to all of them!

I can't not feel empowered in this bright orange 70s style fringed poncho from All About Audrey - www.allaboutaudrey.co.uk

It's another self-portrait taken at The Hacienda, London

Done