My Story, My Journey - Breast Cancer During Covid19.
My name Is Joanne or Jo & Josephine to my friends & I am 48 Years old and a mother of 4 beautiful children, Ben, Britney, Paris & Pixie mai & Fiancee to Phil my partner of 19 Years.
I live in Wilnecote, Tamworth.
I work for Pandora as part of their Management Team in Tamworth, and love that I get to work with not just colleagues but people I class as my friends.
Well 2020, what a Year! Covid 19 affected every day life did it? We saw Schools close, Businesses close, restrictions on who you could see and who you couldn't see, shopping alone, the list went on and changed numerous times too.
For me, I made the most of Covid Times, I spent time with my family, Tik Tok dances, gardening, painting furniture, something that I loved doing, but never get the time, but with the good times came the bad times too, unfortunately in May during lockdown my 95 Year old Grandad (who previously had been fit and well) ended up in hospital, and at the same time my Uncle was also taken into hospital with a heart attack who sadly passed away early hours of the morning.
Then we had November lockdown!! This was a different matter...
I was keeping busy helping my boy move out of his flat! what a move that was..
I was actually looking forward to having a lockdown birthday, I could drink Gin, eat cake and not have a care in the world... but that all changed on the 09th November.
09 November 2020
On the evening of the 09th, after cooking tea, tidying up the kitchen which was a battle in itself as we were renovating, Phil called me to say he had run a bath..(well trained)..
After soaking in the bath, thinking about life, work, family & friends as you do.. something and I don't know what told me to check my breasts! Now I am not someone who does this on a regular basis, I don't think any woman religiously checks but that night has changed everything! I found a lump on the bottom of my left breast, like someone had implanted a brick, it didn't move and knocked me sick to my stomach.
I came down stairs and Phil was in the Conservatory and I shared my news, crying of course as you just think the worse! Phil was very positive and stayed calm, he searched on his phone and tried to keep me positive that Breast Cancer had quite a few symptoms and although I had the lump, I had no other symptoms, but I just knew (gut Instinct) it wasn't good, as you can imagine sleep was quite difficult that night.
10th November 2020
I called the Peel Practice surgery in Tamworth, left my number with reception for a call back and an hour later I received that call from Charlotte Webster.
I explained to Dr Webster that I had found a lump and described it, she kindly advised that due to the Covid situation that rather than come into Surgery she would refer me to Burton Breast Clinic and I would hear from the shortly.
That call came the next morning, I didn't catch the nurses name at the time as I was so shocked it was so quick, the Breast Care Nurse advised me that they would see me within 14 days, booking me in for the 25th November 2020, the day after my birthday...