I’m trekking 100km for CoppaFeel! by Kay Carpenter
6th April 2023
Hello I’m Kay. I’m a 36-year-old Londoner living in Palmers Green. I have been a social worker for 16 years and I have two lovely and energetic boys. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2021. Being diagnosed with cancer in your 30s with two young kids to look after is a traumatic and difficult thing to navigate. No one expects to be diagnosed with cancer, you never think it will be you, but especially as a younger person. I went through almost a year of active treatment, and I am still dealing with the after-effects of this 18 months later. My physical and mental health has taken a battering and whilst I am cancer free now, I really do not wish this on anyone.
In June I will be trekking 100km of Hadrian’s Wall over five days to raise money for CoppaFeel! They are on a mission to stamp out the late diagnosis of breast cancer by making sure that young people are regularly checking their boobs, pecs and chests and getting to know their bodies in order to have the confidence to see their GP if something just doesn’t feel normal.
I am privileged to be trekking to raise money for CoppaFeel! Who were part of the reason I found my cancer so early. To find out more about CoppaFeel! head to www.coppafeel.org.
GET CLUED UP ON THE SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Breast cancer doesn’t just show up as a lump so getting to know all the symptoms will help you detect anything suspect quickly. Remember that some of these changes might occur naturally with your cycle, if you have periods and can be perfectly normal.
- swelling of all or part of the breast
- skin irritation or dimpling
- breast pain
- nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
- redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
- a nipple discharge other than breast milk
- a lump in the underarm area
These changes can also be signs of less serious conditions, such as an infection or a cyst.
You can help me hit my £5,000 fundraising target by visiting my fundraising page.
