Below is Carole Bunny’s story, written in her own words. Please read this incredible moving and insightful story:
“It was about May time 2019 when I found a lump in my right breast, it was only very small and it wasn’t always there so I didn’t think much of it, but then by March 2020 it was so painful I couldn’t bear it any longer and made and appointment to see my doctor, she said she will do a referral to the hospital for an ultrasound and within a couple of days I had my hospital appointment, I went for my scan but they said my skin was too thick and they couldn’t see anything properly so they would send me an appointment.
My next appointment came for 1st June, because it was during covid I had to go by myself, and when I got to the hospital my doctor said they’re going to do some biopsies, ultrasound and a mammogram.
When they were done my doctor took me into another room and told me ‘I’m really sorry but you have breast cancer’ i have no idea the rest of the conversation, my whole world fell apart right in front of me.
I don’t even know what was going through my mind at this point, I just kept thinking I was going to be poorly and die like my mum, sister, grandma and auntie had, I don’t even remember how I got home.
I walked in and saw my kids and partner sat there, I couldn’t even look at them, I went and sat in the other room and couldn’t control how upset I was, one of the kids came in, I can’t even remember if it was my oldest daughter or oldest son and asked if I was ok, ‘I’ve got breast cancer’ we’re the only words I could say, we both started to cry and then I told my partner and the other oldest child.
I didn’t tell the younger ones or any other family members just yet because we didn’t really know what was going on. I got in bed that night and thought to myself ‘ive got too much to lose, theres no way this is going to beat me’ so i decided that i was going to fight all i could. I had a few more hospital appointments, scans and things and my doctor and oncologist had decided that I would have 7 rounds of chemotherapy, which would cause me to lose my hair, a single right mastectomy and some radiotherapy.
I had to tell the rest of my family.
How am i supposed to tell them all something like this when we have lost so many family members to the horrible disease?
There were so many things going through my head I couldn’t think straight.
So before I started treatment I got in touch with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and asked them all to meet me at my brother’s house so I could tell them all what was happening.
We were all in my brothers conservatory and I had to tell them all ‘I have grade 3 inflammatory breast cancer, that has spread to my lymph nodes, ovaries and left lung’ and about the treatment I would have to have, there were lots of questions and everybody was so upset but because I was so positive it made everyone else feel better. I’d still not told my 2 youngest kids, they were 8 and 2, how was i supposed to tell them this, my 8 year old son was so upset about that i would lose my hair. A few weeks later I started chemotherapy which was awful but wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and all the staff in the chatsfield suite were all lovely.
This was right in the middle of covid so everyone had to wear facemasks and make sure everything was extra clean.
I can’t really remember much through this time unless I look through photos, I think we must have had some good times because the kids all seem to be happy and smiling so I must have been doing something right. I remember my hair started to fall out after my first treatment so we shaved it off which was quite upsetting, but it will grow back.
The weeks passed until it was my last chemotherapy session and I got to ring the bell 🔔 how amazing and emotional that is I can’t even describe, it made it even more special because they waited for the kids to come so they could share it with me.
After 6 weeks I had my mastectomy and on 6th January 2021 I saw my doctor who told me I have ‘ALL CLEAR’ those were the most amazing words I’ve ever heard, 6 weeks after that once it had healed I started radiotherapy at Weston Park, 15 sessions I had to have, I did all my travelling with firefly which is such an amazing charity, I met some lovely people that were all going through the same.
Once my treatment had finished I invited my family and close friends to my house to let off some balloons to celebrate, it’s not every day you get ALL CLEAR so I think that needs to be celebrated.
At some point I had a genetic test to see if it was hereditary because of so many of my family having cancer but thankfully it’s not hereditary.
One morning in September/October 2023 I woke up and thought I need to have a breast reconstruction, so I contacted my doctor and on 13th January and I went for some scans and things.
On 31st January my doctor phoned me with my scan results ‘I’m really sorry but we’ve seen something on your scan results that wasn’t there before so we need you to have another scan so we can see what’s going on’ NOOOOO!!!
I wasn’t even bothered about having a reconstruction i just felt like something was telling me i needed to. So I went for another CT scan and a PET scan and on 14th February 2024 I had the worst news ever, there is 3 masses on my right lung which is metastatic, meaning it has come back from the breast cancer I previously had, but this time it’s incurable but they’re hoping they can maintain it. At this point they didn’t know what treatment I would have as they had to look at everything.
They then decided that because of the cancer I originally had I didn’t have as many options as they would have liked so I have to have chemotherapy again, nab-paclitaxel, every week for 3 weeks, week off then start again. Also, atezolizumab every other week. That seems like a lot but they must know what they’re talking about, so here we go again still thinking positive though, I feel like you think yourself poorly so the more happy thoughts you have the better so this is now me for the rest of my life, unless some miracle happens, I feel like I’m always at the hospital now, I’m really hoping that they come up with something else so I can spend more time with my family and less time at the hospital, I always believe that things happen for a reason, I have every intention of being here for a long time yet.
Me and my partner have 6 kids between us and they are all definitely worth fighting for all this certainly makes you look at things in a different way, it makes you realise what’s important and what isn’t.
Life is what you make it, so be happy think positive and look after the ones that look after you.
A few weeks ago I contact Evestrust for a Dream, but didn’t have any idea what I wanted. So, after talking with my Dreams Coordinator, she as asked for names and ages of everyone that lives in the house and said we’d get surprises for each person as Cancer impacts everybody in proximity. My mind went blank, and I couldn’t actually think of much that everybody likes so I didn’t give her much to go on, the poor lass ha-ha. But Baileigh turned up with all the surprises it was quite emotional. They’d put so much thought into it, into each person and every single gift. It was amazing and everybody loved them!!
I sent some photos (the males are happy I promise) Thank you to Baileigh and everyone at Evestrust we really do appreciate it. It gave us all something to smile about during a time that’s been so difficult. Those little moments can be so important and certainly something you learn to cherish.
Thank you for reading my journey so far”
