I would like to know why we all get breast cancer, you know. I think we all go through, when were diagnosed, you go through just about everything as to the reasons why.

I have talked to the genetics department about whether in fact my daughter and my sister’s two daughters are sort of, may well get breast tumours, and both of my sister and myself it was post-menopausal, so it wasn’t, it wasn’t sort of earlier than that.

But evidently last, the year previously to when I spoke to them, they said that if there had been 3 members in the family that had had a breast tumour then they would’ve deemed us to be an at-risk category. But because of budget cuts they now had to increase it to four, which I thought was quite interesting (laughs).

So all I can do about the girls in the family is that they should be checked regularly and I think I’d probably tell the whole world that they should be, all the women in the world that I meet that’ “Have you examined your breasts? Do make sure that you do. “I do on a regular basis. And go for breast screening when it comes along as well.”

It wasn’t for me because I already had cancer, so I suppose I wasn’t really concerned for me. It was more for my younger sister. And I think it was very difficult for her waiting for these results and not knowing really what the implications were. And for my children.

But I think it’s helpful if, I suppose I felt all information was helpful. Because part of me almost didn’t want to get the tests but I suppose you sort of think well all information is helpful. And if it meant that my sister could then be tested and know kind of more clearly what she should have in terms of screening, then that was definitely worth it. But it wasn’t a nice kind of experience.

And for any women who are thinking about the having the tests? What did they, what did they involve?

it’s just a blood test. But I think to be prepared for how long it’s going to take. Because I mean it’s months to years where I had it done. Maybe it’s different, but it’s just worth checking how long and what actually the real implications of the result are. Because it’s not like the other tests you have, which are quite immediate and you can kind of find, you know, you’re sort of talking like days or weeks. And then you can make a decision based on that. It does take a lot longer, and it’s a lot, and the results are a lot less clear cut I think.

So from the start of the tests to when you actually found out, how long was the whole process?

From the BRCA1, it was over a year definitely. Maybe I got BRCA, I think maybe I got BRCA1 back within months, and then BRCA2 took about a year. I might have that wrong, but it was definitely over a year.

And I believe a recent survey that I read in one of the Sunday papers said that – it was a huge survey, 50,000 people in France – they have decided that one in three cancers are food related. We are what we eat, so that is part of my regime.

I have read about how foods are preserved and I don’t like the sound of it at all. I don’t like the fact that most of the meat that were eating are fed drugs and hormones to make them healthy and fat.

And perfect robust looking fruit and vegetables have usually been artificially grown and they leave substances and things on the skin that can do all sorts of damage. Even eggs that we eat.

The poultry are fed stuff that dyes the yolk a bright yellow because that’s what they think we want.

Organic dairy stuff but I don’t overdo the dairy, but I take supplements.

And the real key, that I never did much of, was drink tons of water.

Water flushes toxics out of the system.

I think lots of people have different theories but nothing has actually been proved. Only where there is a family link. And the medical profession are advising on that.

But I don’t know that anyone has yet come up with anything that is really acceptable for breast cancer.

I think in other countries they don’t have, for instance I believe in Japan theres a very low incidence of breast cancer. But they do have other cancers. So I think that’s perhaps where there could be some link with diet but I don’t know, theres nothing proven.

Having found the information, having read the Imperial Cancer Care Book on breast cancer, which I really do think is highly informative. And you look at the risk factors. I didn’t fit into any of them.

So to me cancer is a nasty disease that can strike anyone.

And yes, there are things that people can do to help themselves, such as not smoking (I gave up 11 years ago or so), but you certainly do need to start to help yourself once you are a victim of cancer.

And to enable you to do that you need to have the correct information. You will find all sorts of things in the media which can be quite scare mongering, on hair dyes, on whether or not you breastfed, on whether or not you had terminations.

I’m not sure that any of these things are factual. I would strongly suggest to people that they disregard them completely. Don’t allow things to frighten and scare you. Stick with the experts. Stick with what it is you know.

Ask the necessary questions if something, if you’re overwhelmed by something, you think “that could be me” or perhaps, you know, “I shouldn’t do that” or whatever.

And I mainly have time to do or I’ve made time to do the things that Ive wanted to do and that I’ve been putting on hold for years.

Stress plays a part, I’m sure in my case that’s played a part, because I’ve been a single parent for 12 years and everyones lives are stressful, weve all got a certain amount, but it’s quite a lot to bring up a family as a single parent.

I’ve been very much more fortunate than many in that, but it’s just tiring and other stresses of life probably all combine, and maybe I had more factors than I realised.

And at the moment we don’t really know what they all are. I think it can only be beneficial to cut down on the stresses that you can really. Don’t take on things you can’t deal with.

I do know quite a lot of women who, in fact I would say nearly all the women I met in hospital, had had some sort of trauma or difficulty.

I mean most people have had traumas in their life by the time they get to their mid-life, but there was a surprising number who’d had difficulties of one sort and another and they’d ended up with breast cancer.

Or they’d had a very unhappy time in one way and another. And I just personally think that that must all be relevant but it’s probably difficult to say why.

Causes and prevention – not nearly enough research is being done on those.

Causes, you know, don’t tell me you know, smoking and genetics, I mean the genetic thing is only you know, eight to ten per cent susceptibility, it doesn’t give you cancer. And I think it’s monstrous that more research is not being done.

And one of the reasons is the research into the treatments are funded by pharmaceutical companies who can make a very large profit out of it. And they need to look at their ethics, they really need to look.

I just wonder how many people on the boards of directors have relatives or friends who’ve died from cancer. I mean that should tell them, you know for the next generation, we need to know. And so people can make choices about lifestyles as well.

And that is another thing that, it’s not often you can get help in that; looking at nutrition; looking at exercise, you know; how we live in a vastly polluted environment now.

And there are organisations who are politically involved.

I also knew that I was a very likely candidate.

Let’s go back, family history’ my sister died of breast cancer, I had a paternal aunt who did and my mother, we were never quite sure what she died of but it was certainty gynaecological cancer, ovarian possibly, but you know it was all a bit mysterious. So that’s the family history.

I had my babies latish, my first baby was born when I was almost 29 which doesn’t sound late today but believe me it’s later than it should be.

I couldn’t breast feed them, at least the first one I couldn’t, because she was a little prem, and I couldn’t get my hands on her in time.

And out of some misguided sense of what is better for, I wanted to treat all the children the same so I didn’t breast feed the boys either.

I had thyrotoxicosis when I was a girl. I had my thyroid removed. And that for some unknown, I don’t know the details of it, but that is a predisposing factor, a bit.

And I’d been on HRT for many, many, many years. I’d done that as a gamble. I knew perfectly that HRT does have a slightly, and I mean slightly, increased risk of breast cancer. But I also knew that it did protect more slightly again coronary thrombosis and cerebral haemorrhage. And I thought right I would, on balance, I would rather cope with breast cancer than cope with a stroke or a heart attack.