00:01My name is Cara and I was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 33 years old.
00:07Last June it was just a normal summer's day.
00:10I had just finished breastfeeding my daughter Sienna and was jumping into the bath to get ready for a girls night out.
00:16I was washing under my arm when I felt the lump.
00:19I was referred to the Ulster Hospital by my GP and five weeks later after an ultrasound and a biopsy,
00:25the consultant was confident the lump was benign and nothing to worry about.
00:29It was around this time I had also found out I was pregnant again.
00:33We were so excited, me and my husband had always wanted kids who were close in age and couldn't wait to tell our family.
00:40Through all of the excitement of the baby news I realised it had been over two weeks since my appointment
00:45and I hadn't got a letter from the hospital with my results.
00:48I gave them a call and I was told they needed me to come back into the hospital.
00:52That's when a bit of panic set in. Why did they want to see me if it was nothing?
00:57I was in the waiting room with my mum and when I was called by a cancer nurse I knew something was wrong.
01:04The consultant came in and sat beside me holding my hand.
01:08When I heard the words breast cancer all I could think of was my daughter, an unborn baby.
01:14I was just so numb.
01:20It just didn't feel real.
01:22I'm a healthy woman in my early 30s, I have so many plans for me and my family's future it felt like it was all taken away in an instant.
01:29I was diagnosed with grade 3 triple negative breast cancer which is known as an aggressive form of breast cancer.
01:36I told the consultant I was pregnant and I was referred for an early scan.
01:41Even though there were no signs of miscarriage we were told we had lost the baby.
01:45Hearing those words no heartbeat was so painful.
01:50I was already trying to deal with the cancer diagnosis and now I was navigating the loss of my baby.
01:57I tried to focus on what I could control and remember just how lucky I was to have my daughter Sienna.
02:03Three weeks after my diagnosis I had my surgery to remove the lung.
02:10But before starting chemo and radiotherapy the most important thing to me was to get my eggs frozen.
02:16Throughout my whole cancer journey I was so worried about the fact all my treatment would have on my fertility.
02:22I was only 33 and I didn't want cancer to take away my chance to grow my family like I'd always dreamed of.
02:29I started my first round of chemo at the end of October last year.
02:34I think there's this idea that you'll look thin and frail when you're in the thick of treatment.
02:39Losing my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes was so tough for me to deal with.
02:44But I also gained two stone which I really wasn't expecting.
02:48Especially after having worked so hard to lose my pregnancy weight after having Sienna only a year before.
02:54It was like losing my identity all over again.
02:58I didn't recognise myself when I looked in the mirror anymore.
03:01I finished my treatment in March this year and now I just want to focus on me.
03:06Eating better, moving my body and avoiding stress.
03:09Having breast cancer has really opened my eyes. Everything can change in an instant.
03:15Being able to talk about all my fears, worries and concerns with someone outside of my family was a game changer.
03:22I don't know what I would have done without Cancer Focus NI.
03:26Life is so precious. I am still so young and I want to travel to new places and run a marathon.
03:32My bucket list is long and I just want to start ticking things off.
03:37But for now it's appreciating everything I already have.
03:41From the pandemic.
03:42I know you are at it.
03:43I am still…
03:44But I am still here and I am still here and I am still there and I am still here.
03:47Because keeping my feet up and deso Kas.
03:48I am still there.
03:49I am still there.
03:50I am still getting this hope.
03:51Thank you for your help.
03:52And I will be blessed.
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