BB Blog — Breast Cancer

Sarah Thomas, 37, a cancer survivor has become the first person to swim across the English Channel four times in a row non-stop.

Sarah began the epic challenge in the early hours of Sunday and finished after more than 54 hours. The open water ultra marathon swimmer - who completed treatment for breast cancer a year ago - dedicated her swim to "all the survivors out there".

The swim was due to be about 80 miles but because of strong tides Ms Thomas ended up swimming closer to 130 miles.

Ms Thomas completed the final leg on Tuesday at about 06:30 BST.

THANK YOU SARAH!! What an amazing achievement! 

Speaking to the BBC after she came ashore at Dover, she said: "I just can't believe we did it.
"I'm really just pretty numb. There was a lot of people on the beach to meet me and wish me well and it was really nice of them, but I feel just mostly stunned."

She said she planned to sleep for the day, adding: "I'm pretty tired right now."

Swimmer Lewis Pugh said in a tweet: "Just when we think we've reached the limit of human endurance, someone shatters the records." 

I know of another swimmer Helen, who has inspired a collection of Bold Beanies chemo headwear who is also an incredible swimmer and inspires me every single day!!

If you have ever had a cancer diagnosis, it's all consuming. A relentless round of hospital visits, doctors appointments and potential surgeries, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, scans... but always a rollercoaster of emotions and anxiety for you and your loved ones. For a time in your life it dictates everything.

And then, if you are lucky enough you come through the other side, life somehow eventually needs to return to 'normal'. You need to get on with everyday life, prepare for events, take care of loved ones and pay those bills... and try as best you can to remember the lessons learned and live the best life possible. 

Breast cancer in men is rare. Around 350 men are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK compared with over 55,000 women. However, the earlier breast cancer is found, the better the chance of successful treatment, so it’s important to look out for any unusual changes and get them checked by your doctor right away. Around 80 men die from breast cancer in the UK every year.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer in men
Checking your breast tissue regularly is especially important for men who have a family history of breast cancer or a genetic condition called Klinefelter’s Syndrome. Most breast tissue in men is concentrated in the area directly behind the nipple and the surrounding pigmented area, called the areola. Most – though not all – breast cancers in men appear near the nipple as firm lumps.

Unusual changes to look out for

1. a lump behind or near your nipple, or in your armpit

2: a change in the appearance of your nipple or areola (including change in direction of nipple)

3: nipple discharge or nipple sores (ulcers)

Raising questions about the causes of modern day Cancer... Environmental? Diet? Stress? Will this give us clues?

A Spanish university team in Cairo has discovered what Egyptian authorities are calling the world's oldest evidence of breast cancer in the 4,200-year-old skeleton of an adult woman. Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said the bones of the woman, who lived at the end of the 6th Pharaonic Dynasty, showed "an extraordinary deterioration."

"The study of her remains shows the typical destructive damage provoked by the extension of a breast cancer as a metastasis," he said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Read the rest f the article and see the video clip by clicking on the link to NBC News below:

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/breast-cancer-signs-seen-4-200-year-old-egyptian-bones-n329626

See our new range of Liberty Head Scarves online now. Which Iconic Liberty print double-sided headscarf (with a reversible plain cotton co-ordinating side) will be your favourite?

Are you having difficulty tying a head scarf? Don't have anyone to help you tie one and need to tie your headwear on your own? Have had breast or lymph node surgery or radiotherapy and can't hold your arms up above your head for very long?  Well, we've taken the difficulty out of it!

I really struggled to tie head scarves when I lost my hair during treatment for stage 3 advanced Breast Cancer and had had lots of different surgeries. I've designed these new headscarves to be super easy to tie. Made using the highest quality softest, stretchiest cotton jersey material, they are already cut to a triangle shape and so just need to be tied once either at the back of the neck or the side, whichever you prefer. 

Not just for cancer or alopecia hair loss, our range of Liberty Head Scarves can be worn by any woman with or without hair! They are super soft and comfy and fit snuggly on the head and don't slip around like other scarves, due to the nature of the fabric. 

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