Nicolette's story
Nicolette heard about Penny Brohn UK from her Macmillan nurse after being diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2021.
“After I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was looking for ways to improve my nutrition and mental wellbeing. The online resources available on the Penny Brohn UK website were invaluable to me, and I was able to access support through group sessions – I did nutrition, Qi Gong, energy healing and visualisation, 1:1 sessions with a nutritionist and an integrative doctor. I also attended wellbeing days, retreats and creativity workshops in person.
“Living in the Midlands and being diagnosed during lockdown, Penny Brohn UK gave me that connection and vital mental support. Talking to people who ‘got it’, who understood, could listen and not try to ‘fix you’ was a relief and refreshing.”
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
“I live in Worcestershire at Bramble Cottage, and I’m able to step outside my front door and immediately be at one with nature. I have an incredibly supportive husband, who I met later on in life and I re-married at the age of 41. He has honed his spider senses and knows when I need a hug, to be told that I am loved, to remind me that we are fortunate to have such a loving relationship, two spirited daughters who are full of life. We also have a Boston Terrier which we re-homed a year and a half ago, who comes with her own needs and anxieties so she fits right in to our home. She has been a great distraction and helps me get out into nature and a gateway to meeting and connecting with people on the walks.
“I enjoy living life to the full, being active and planning activities, holidays, organising home life etc. I am self-employed project manager and work from home and have done for the last 6 years. I love to sing and dance, we have a karaoke machine at home which I get to use and dance for at least one song before I become too embarrassing for my girls!”
What was your diagnosis like?
“I’ve had lumpy breasts for most of my life and have been for many scans. I always had at the back of my mind that one day the words ‘abnormal’ may be spoken when receiving the results. December 2020 I felt a lump, it was near to Christmas and Covid-19 was all over the news. I was seen and diagnosed in January 2021, I had a mastectomy, followed by radiotherapy in June and have been on hormone blockers since.
“I remember receiving a phone call a few days after the scan and was asked to come in, I knew then it wasn’t good news. It was at a time when no visitors were able to come to appointments. I went to see my consultant on the same day. I remember ringing my husband who was picking up my girls (one from nursery and the other from First School).
“I can remember thinking, ok, I will get the cancer removed and get on with life. And then the biopsies, scans, investigations started and that’s when my mental health took a dive.”
How did it affect the rest of your family?
“I was very careful with the information I shared. I only shared what I felt my young girls could deal with. “I have a lump that is bad and needs to be removed”. And that is all that people knew, including my close family. I wanted to make sure that the word ‘cancer’ wasn’t spoken as like me when you hear that word you might think that ultimately you are going to die sooner than you would like.”
Tell me something about your cancer diagnosis that most people wouldn’t realise?
“I have considered my diagnosis a ‘gift’. I felt uncomfortable using language of ‘fighting’ and I have become a more balanced, calmer, less judgmental human. I am more curious about human behaviour and what is it trying to communicate. I am kinder to myself and ensure I do things that energise me, knowing that it can help me be the best I can for my family.
“Even after your initial treatment finishes you are never ‘back to your normal self’ and to be honest I wouldn’t want to be. Your body needs time to heal again after surgery, radiotherapy and hormone blockers, however, the anxiety of reoccurrence or a new cancer never leaves, you get more days where you don’t think about it, but it never goes away. Those days I try and visualise those worries on leaves drifting down the river and they flow away.”
How has Penny Brohn UK helped you?
“Before finding Penny Brohn UK, I was scared and didn’t know where to look or who to speak to. I didn’t want to google for information, but there was a thirst to find out more about my diagnosis and what I could do to give my body the best chance to heal.
“After finding Penny Brohn UK I felt I was not alone and I could live well with cancer. Penny Brohn UK have done the research so I don’t have to lose myself in scrolling through the internet and giving myself more worries.
“I had online energy healing and visualisation sessions with Penny Brohn UK and this was particularly helpful during my radiotherapy treatment. I firmly believe that as a direct result of visualisation I didn’t experience any burning or redness of my skin.
“The nutrition sessions were particularly helpful. I was supported to get a hold of my diet and felt empowered. I had and still have a safe space where I can share, listen and feel at ease surrounded by like-minded humans.
“Knowing that I have a professional and well-regarded charity that I can access online and face-to-face gives me reassurance at times when I am feeling more anxious and vulnerable – particularly with scanxiety! This has made my journey more positive and has reduced my anxiety.”
Finally, what are your hopes for the future?
“My hopes are to worry less, to be able to live more freely and continue to be happy more than sad. I also hope that I have and will continue to impart life skills to my girls, that I can continue to be open about my diagnosis and share (in an age-appropriate way) my continuing journey. Who knew that prosthetic nipples could be a great source of entertainment and a double up as a witches warts at Halloween!”
We’d like to thank each of our clients for sharing their experience. The words used in each case study are preferred by the client featured. Penny Brohn UK encourages everyone to use their own words to tell their story. If you have any questions about any of the language used, please email comms@pennybrohn.org.uk.