ThreeEnglishPennies

About boobs and brains

[threepenniebits]

Behind closed doors - part one

So the last time I wrote, I was on the waiting room side of this door, wondering if something awful was about to happen.

I'd been having pain in Dwayne (my naughty right boob) for 4 or 5 weeks so thought it best to checked out. Figuring everything was OK, and the pain was merely nerve damage, I expected to be in and out of the screening unit relatively quickly. I didn't bank on them finding a shadow and needing to do a mammogram followed by another ultrasound.

As it turns out, they believe the shadow is probably empty space from where they removed the tumour back on 2014. I have to go back for repeat imaging at the beginning of January but this is certainly a welcome reprieve from what could have been the disaster that is a recurrence.

Since my encounter at the screening unit, Coppafeel! has lost one of it's Boobettes, Alex, to secondary breast cancer. She was just 26. This comes weeks after losing another Boobette, Vashti Emma, and just days before a further Boobette, Laura, had stage 4 breast cancer confirmed. As is said in the first video I show people in my Coppafeel! presentation, there is no stage 5.

Please don't be scared about knowing your own body and speaking up about any changes, no matter how small you think they are. Knowing this stuff could very well save your life. Here's a reminder on what to look out for:

[wearetheboobettes]

Boob Salute: The Incredible Maren

Ask any of the 80+ Boobettes spreading boob love up and down the country about CoppaFeel! and they will tell you about the moment this incredible powerhouse of a charity changed their lives.

In some cases, they were diagnosed because of CoppaFeel!s life-saving message. For others, they found CoppaFeel! because they wanted to help young people find the confidence they couldn’t find for themselves and go to the GP. And, others wanted to remind the world that young women do get breast cancer – a fact that steals our friends and loved ones every single day.

CoppaFeel! changes lives and that is, in no small part, down to the fantastic boob-loving Maren. Maren set up the charity with twin sister Kris when Kris was newly diagnosed with secondary breast cancer (a cancer that can be treated but not cured). You only need spend a few minutes in their company to see the bond between them and it is incredibly humbling that Maren has dedicated so much of her life to spreading the message she only wished Kris had heard years before.

CoppaFeel! is now going from strength to strength because of that bond and although Maren has now decided to follow a new path, we know it will be one that often leads her back to those giant inflatable boobs!

We couldn’t let Maren head off on her new adventure without a Boobette tribute. It’s hard to put into words all that Maren means to us. She’s a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Her creative thinking has helped turn CoppaFeel! into a small charity with a big voice. And, I reckon she’s run more races in a giant boob than anyone else.

I have met her a few times (mainly on race days) and she always makes me smile. It’s one thing to support your sister through life-limiting illness. It’s quite another to give up everything to make sure other sisters don’t have to feel the same pain. Maren is my selfless shining star and I feel grateful to know her.

And, I am not alone. Here are just a few thank yous from the Boobettes:

‘I remember my meeting at CoppaFeel! HQ like it was yesterday. I’d finally found a group of ladies I could relate to and were changing a negative into such a positive. I have seen how supportive and what a beautiful bond Maren has with Kris. It is so lovely to see sisters that are so close and are so driven to educate young people in such an important and personal subject.

For me, CoppaFeel! is the charity that us young (ish on my part) people needed. To break the taboo of ‘boobs’; and the importance of checking and self-examining. Maren, you should be so proud of your achievements and the lives you have affected. I wish you all the success in your future ventures.’

Kirsty W

‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to Maren as she is the first person I met when I joined CoppaFeel! As a Boobette and she was super supportive and generally awesome. Wishing you so much luck for your new adventure, you will be amazing at whatever you do.’

Rachel T

‘There’s been a lot of water under the CoppaFeel! bridge since we first met back in 2013 when I contacted you about doing some voluntary work with CoppaFeel! Little did I know I would be caught up in the whirlwind of boob madness that has prevailed since and become a Boobette. Thank you for being such a welcoming face of CoppaFeel! over and over again.. I don’t know what I’d have done without the charity these past few years. There will be an enormous boob shaped hole but I wish you the most enormous amount of luck and love for the future whatever that may bring.’

Sarah (and Ben)

‘I wanted to thank you for doing what you have done over the past 7 years. I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to see you grow as a charity founder and am so proud of what you have achieved! Have loved working with you and occasionally bumping into you, and will miss your gorgeous face. You truly have been an honour to volunteer for and appreciate all you have done for The Boobettes, CoppaFeel! and for me!’

‘Now go do what you need to do and enjoy every minute. I can only hope that we continue to bump into each other in the future.’

Tons of love

Jess x

‘Thank you Maren for all that you have done and creating an awesome charity that means a lot to a lot of people. CoppaFeel! has made me realise a lot. Without you guys I would probably still be struggling with my mental health as you have helped me so much. Being able to share my story for you, and having an amazing circle of Boobettes around to lean on and get support of has meant the world to me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I wish you all the best and good luck in your new adventure. You will be successful in whatever comes your way as you have achieved so much in the last 7 years!

‘You are awesome!’

Lucy

‘I have had a few opportunities to meet and chat with Maren she’s a lovely kind person who’s beautiful soul definitely shines through when you meet her. I wish her good luck in her future endeavours but I know she will always be a part of the CoppaFeel! family. Good Luck Maren xx’

Keely

‘HUGE thank you for everything you’ve done for CoppaFeel! and for being a wonderful human being. I’ve loved every second of volunteering and you’ve been a big part of that. Enjoy all your new adventures. Big love Zwinkels xxxxxx.’

Susan Z

‘I would love you to know that I feel so thankful CoppaFeel! was set up as it really is an amazing charity. I feel so proud to be a Boobette and love spreading the boob love. I have heard so much positive feedback about what we do. Thank you for setting it up and all the hard work you have put in.’

Katerina

Wherever the next chapter takes you, we hope it will be every bit as brilliant as you. Thank you for everything!

Jackie, Blogette London (a Boobette who blogs) x

[helthehatter]

Good Things that Happened in 2016

·         New chemotherapy breakthroughs have increased the 5-year survival for pancreatic cancer from 16% to 27% (and is getting better)

·         Scientists figured out how to link robotic limbs with the part of the brain that deals with intent to move so people don’t have to think about how they will move the limb, it can just happen.

·         Child mortality is down everywhere and it keeps going down.

·         Thanks to the ice bucket challenge the gene responsible for ALS has been found, meaning we are closer to an effective treatment. Let me rephrase that: we are close to getting a treatment for a very bad disease because a lot of people (including really hot celebrities) got wet.

·         A solar powered plan circumnavigated the world.

·         Michael Jordan donates 2mil to try and help bridge connection between police and the community.

·         Tiger numbers are growing.

·         And manatees.

·         And pandas.

·         Pakistan has made strides toward outlawing honor killings.

·         70,000 Muslim clerics declared a fatwa against ISIS.

·         Pokemon Go players went insane with placing lure modules near hospitals for sick kids.

·         California is now powering over 6 million homes with solar power, a record in the US (and that is the tightest shit)

·         Volunteers in India planted 50 million trees in 24 hours.

·         Apparently world crime as a whole has drastically declined as a whole in the last couple of decades.

·         Coffee consumption has been proved to help curtail cancer and suicide rates.

·         Speaking of coffee Starbucks figured out how to donate perishable food in a food safe way.

·         500 elephants were relocated to a better, safer and bigger home.

·         We made massive strides in Alzheimers’ prevention (my grandmother literally told me that scares her more than getting cancer this is very good news)

·         The ozone layer is repairing itself and all the work we did to get rid of those aerosol chemicals was actually worth it.

·         A new therapy developed in Israel could cure radiation sickness.

·         The Anglican church resolved to solemnize same-sex unions the same as opposite-sex unions which required a super majority of all three orders of the church (lay, clergy, bishop).

·         The Rabbinical Assembly issued a resolution affirming the rights of transgender and non-conforming individuals.

·         Precision treatments for cancer are hitting clinical trials and WORKING (as someone who’s had relatives with cancer this is the best news)

·         Dentists are once again providing free care to veterans who need it.

·         The Orlando Shakespeare Festival showed up with angel wings to block funeral-goers for the Orlando Pulse victims, view from anti-gay protesters

·         We may have cured MS

·         Rise Women’s Legal Centre opened

·         Death by heart disease has decreased by 70% in the United States

·         Two brothers saw color for the first time thanks to specially-designed glasses

• Portugal ran its entire nation solely on renewable energy for four days straight

·         A retiree is launching a project to transport 80 endangered rhinos to an Australian reservation to save the animals from poaching

·         An Afghan teacher has been delivering books via bicycle to villages that lack schools

·         Harriet Tubman is going to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

·         200 strangers attended the funeral of a homeless WW2 veteran with no family

·         A teen battling cancer married his sweetheart

·         Bank firm pays for college tuition for the children of employees who died in the 9/11 attacks

·         New medicine has been shown to increase melanoma survival rate to 40%

·         Over 800 Boko Harem Hostages were rescued by Nigerian Army

·         Toys R Us is Offering Quiet Shopping Hour for kids with autism this holiday season

·         Volunteers made special tiny Halloween costumes for NICU babies

·         A 4-year old befriends a lonely man and helped him heal after losing his wife

·         Families grew

·         People survived c ancer

·         People overcame depression

·         Any kind of victory, even if it affects only one person,  is a victory

·         Now for the pop culture good news

·         LEONARDO DICAPRIO WON AN OSCAR! EVERYONE READING THIS LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE LEO FINALLY GET WHAT HE DESERVED

·         There’s a new Harry Potter book

·         And a movie

·         Harry Potter has no plans on vanishing with time

·         This sweet father gave candy to passengers on a flight so his little girl could trick or treat on Halloween

·         LET ME TALK ABOUT ALL THE KICK ASS MOVIES WE GOT THIS YEAR OH MY GOD

·         Kung Fu Panda 3, this franchise is still going strong despite that its about a panda played by Jack Black

·         Jungle Book. The amazing remake none of us saw coming

·         Finding Dory. I haven’t seen it yet but I’ve heard good things

·         Kubo and the Two Strings. Haven’t seen that yet as well but its Laika so I know it’s a masterpiece

·         Deadpool. The beautiful and super accurate R-rated marvel film

·         Captain America: Civil War. Seriously is the best marvel movie yet in my opinion I need more.

·         Zootopia. Oh don’t mind me I’m just a movie that tackled the issue of racism and not only game changed animated films but also made a billion dollars

·         The Hamilton Mixtape is coming out. Which is a bunch of artists singing songs from the musical (Sia, Usher, Regina Spketor, etc.) I’m excited.

·         A personal victory for myself, I joined Tumblr and met angels in blog form so…that’s uplifting.

·         And I met my favorite voice actor at a con which was a bucket list accomplishment.

Good Things that have yet to happen this year

·         Birthdays

·        Thanksgiving

·         Black Friday

·         Moana

·         Christmas

Good things that have nothing to do with the year but will hopefully make you feel better

·         Puppies

·         Chocolate

·         Rainbows

·         Rain (I like listening to rain it’s one of the most calming sounds)

·         Cartoons

·         Kissing

·         Music

·         Friends

·         FF: If you are a religious person you are an imperfect masterpiece

·         FF: If you are not then you are a splendid coincidence

·         Any year spent with loved ones be they family or friends is a good year. Trust me.

·         ”A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it’s the only weapon we have” –Roger Rabbit

#NeverForgetTheGood

*Plz feel free to add other good news (even if it’s something small like you ate cheesecake THAT is good news)

[threepenniebits]

Get It Off Your Chest

I’m sitting in the waiting room at my local breast screening unit. It’s been a while since I’ve been although I visit every six months for my mammogram since being diagnosed. My mind immediately goes back to the first time I came here. I was 31 and it was 27th January 2014. I’d found a lump a few weeks earlier and had been referred for an ultrasound. I think I knew what it was before I even took my seat in that (this) waiting room but a small part of you always hopes that your gut feeling is wrong.

Now I’m here again, short of three years down the line. I’ve been experiencing some new symptoms that haven’t gone away in the 5 weeks since I first noticed them so the GP has rightly referred me back to the hospital.

I’m watching people come and go from their appointments wondering if like me, they are cynical of waiting rooms and what lies in store on the other side of the door marked ‘Engaged’, or if they’re naive to this whole never-ending circle of broken sofas, Classic FM and old magazines. Part of me wants to ask each of them about their own story and tell them that whatever happens, it will be alright but this is their own personal experience; it’s not for me to involve myself so I provide merely a small, knowing smile.

I feel like an old hand at this waiting room lark. It’s a shame it’s not a recognised profession otherwise I could make a butt-load of money. My time here will hopefully be brief but until I go through that door, there’s no knowing what lies behind it and I find myself falling into that other category of naivety, hoping for only the best of news.

[threepenniebits]

Official boob.

It has been a crazy week and I desperately meant to post about everything pre-today before today but life kinda got away from me! In summary, I started my Masters in Occupational Psychology via Leicester Uni distance learning last week and we’re also in practice mode for the LoveSoul Winter performance (https://lovesoulchoir.com), so I’ve been pretty tied up with all of that, which has hardly given me time to panic about my first Boobette session for Coppafeel!

This morning I opened my eyes to see my Boobette t-shirt and jacket hanging up and my tummy did a little, nervous flip. A coffee, a muffin and a short drive down to Bournemouth later and I was collecting the lovely Sophie from the train station. I had said to keep an eye out for Bumblebee, my bright yellow car, only to arrive in utter dismay at the taxi rank full of Bournemouth taxis which are yellow... 

Anyhow, I digress. We got to LV (went to wrong building and parked in the wrong car park), set up and before I knew it, it was half past twelve and time to crack on! Everything went as well as it could’ve done, bar a small brain fart in the middle where I came across a slide and had no idea what to say. I reverted to the key messages of knowing what’s normal for you, checking regularly, and reporting any changes. Boom! Done. The group were lovely and welcoming and tweeted me afterwards to say thanks. Sophie’s presence made things a lot less stressful, and I can feel proud that #1 is done and out of the way. I have spoken to a couple of other people who would like me to come and talk for them so I’m chuffed that I am finally, officially, spreading the boob word.

[threepenniebits]

[threepenniebits]

Ready for some #Boobette action @coppafeelpeople #TeamBoobs

[threepenniebits]

Think pink. Or just think.

Today is the First of October. Today marks two years since I had my last radiotherapy session and two years since I completed my active treatment for breast cancer. It also marks two years since the comfortable safety net of having daily contact with medical professionals was whipped out from under my feet. I did not celebrate the end of treatment with a party and I did not crack open a bottle of Champagne. Instead, I had a coffee at the hospital cafe, cried in the linear accelerator partly from relief but also from fear, and then went home and slept for the rest of the day - radiotherapy will do that to a person - though not before giving the radiotherapy department a piece of my mind in typical me-fashion.

Of course, October also heralds the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month, typified by a surge of cake sales, people wearing copious amounts of pink, and also the annual round-robin of nonsense ‘awareness-raising’ games on Facebook. If you haven’t been privy to these, it usually involves what colour pants you’re wearing, what fruit apparently symbolises your marital status or bizarrely and somewhat inappropriately, a picture of your bra strap. 

Now I’m all for fun and I’m most definitely for raising awareness but I fail to see how some of these activities do anything other than belittle breast cancer and the things that those diagnosed with the disease have potentially had to deal with. The only thing I ask is that you consider what the aim is with any disease or illness awareness-raising month.

For breast cancer, all I want you to do is read the below info from Coppafeel! about what to keep an eye out for, get to know your own boobs, and speak to your GP if anything isn’t normal for you. Then once you’ve done that, you can chuck on a pair of fluffy deeley-boppers, bake me a nice coffee and walnut cake, and tell me about your fruit-based marriage.

[threepenniebits]

Bra (R)evolution

I've had my twice annual clear out today and have supplied our local textiles bank with no less than 3 bin liners of old clothes. This has included an unwanted but totally necessary expulsion of an inordinate number of bras that are no longer fit for purpose.

Over the last couple of years I have worn a number of different types of bra; fancy-schmancy pretty coloured ones (pre-diagnosis), ugly but comfy soft-cupped ones (post-surgery), and my current standard full cup in one of about 5 sizes to house either my massive left boob or my sad-looking right boob, Dwayne.

Looking at the difference between my underwear from before cancer to how it looks now is somewhat depressing. I've realised that because I've had cancer and surgery and all the other crap that goes with it, that I don't look the same anymore, that I am scarred and imperfect, I somehow don't deserve to have beautiful bras because really, what's the point?

Well actually that is utter b/s and I do deserve to wear nice things. If anything, after being on the road I've been on, I deserve to have these things more than I did before. I am lucky that I still have both my boobs, I am lucky that I can still wear bras and I am lucky that I am alive. Right now, I'm off to book a fitting at good old M&S.

[threepenniebits]

Pain ≠ Cancer

So, there is a myth that if your boobs hurt it must be cancer, right? Wrong. Boob pain is actually super common and has waaaay too many causes. This awesome infographic from Health.com explains some other things that might be causing some discomfort in your jiggleberries. It turns out us ladies have pecs too, who knew?

[threepenniebits]

15 miles of London bridges = a glass of bubbly + shiny medals + a stress fracture but most importantly it means raising boob awareness and money for Coppafeel!