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“I was told early on that cantankerous people live longer, so I intend to stay cantankerous and challenging and defiant for as long as possible.” Denise Bates, 59 from Liverpool living in Birmingham, married, 2 sons 20 and 25. Used to work in NHS finance, now loves sewing, variegated thread, tea and cake!

Living with secondary breast cancer can be emotionally and physically draining. Symptoms present a unique set of challenges that members of our community have to tackle on a daily basis.

This blog is part of our content for Dying Matters Awareness Week 2025

Emma Frith - Registration Team Leader, Norwich, Norfolk Losing someone you love is one of life’s hardest experiences. When that loss comes after a breast cancer journey, it can feel particularly heavy—especially if you were by their side through the ups and downs.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer just three days before my 28th birthday. It felt like my whole world shattered.

Hi, my name is Deb, I'm 52 and live in Merseyside with my husband Neil. Neil has three adult children from his first marriage and we now have a six-month old grand-daughter.

For many, Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate love, strength, and the unbreakable bond between mothers and their children. For Alex Moore (47) and her mum, Geri Cannon (74), this bond has taken on an even deeper meaning as they both navigate life with Secondary Breast Cancer (SBC) at the same time.

Hi, I'm Kerry, I'm 51 years young and I'm based in the beautiful Shropshire Hills. I live with my husband, Steve and our cat Sidney.

I had never heard of secondary breast cancer, until I received a phone call telling me I had it, almost two years ago. It is difficult for me to understand how it is possible that I went through 16 months of treatment for what I now know was primary breast cancer, yet I never heard the word secondary at any point during my mastectomy surgery, 18 weeks of chemotherapy, three weeks of radio therapy, one year of targeted therapy or subsequent hormone therapy.

Documented by Sally Cusack, Melissa Baldwin, Megan Merrit, Emily Van Keogh Background Our best-friend, Emily, was enjoying her maternity leave as a first-time mother of her four-month-old son Griff. Then in September 2020 her life then changed forever when she found a lump in her left breast.

I have been living with secondary breast cancer since September 2005.....19 1⁄2 years. I was diagnosed with de novo secondary breast cancer at the age of 32: Estrogen -, Progesterone +, HER2 +.

I was first diagnosed with Triple Negative Stage 3 breast cancer in July 2009, had a recurrence in 2012, and by March 2016, it was Stage 4. By January 2020, I had more or less run out of treatment options and was offered a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Today for International Women's Day (8 March) we're launching our Stories of Hope, featuring narratives from women and men who are living with secondary breast cancer. These are stories that will encourage and inspire our community, and let them know they are not alone living with this disease.

We are sharing stories from our Triple Negative Breast Cancer community to raise awareness about this subtype on Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Day (3 March). Sarah from Hull shares her story of receiving a de novo secondary diagnosis of ER+ HER- in 2019, and then finding out in 2023 that her cancer had flipped to TNBC.

We're sharing stories from some of our wonderful members of the secondary breast cancer community. Jane shares her story with us.