BSI Fundraising

Emma Higginson was diagnosed with Secondary (Metastatic) Breast Cancer in December 2022.  She works in IT for BSI and since her diagnosis her colleagues at BSI have really got behind Make 2nds Count to help raise funds.

From Roy running the marathon, Damian doing a duathlon, Olu taking on RideLondon and everyone doing a Zumbathon together.  We can't thank Emma & her colleagues from BSI enough for their support.

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I am 40 years old and work in IT. I enjoy the outdoors, I like to walk, swim, camp and just chill outdoors. I love reading (even about things that aren’t cancer related) and traveling to new or old places. I’m mother to a very funny 3 year old boy called Joel and currently live in south west Ireland with my partner Paul and Joel since my breast cancer diagnosis in April 2021. Joel was born just before the lockdowns began and after 6 months of lockdowns in our little flat in Ealing Broadway we decided to go home to Ireland for a few months and introduce him to everyone at home. A few months later just as we were about to return to London I got diagnosed with ER positive breast cancer which had already spread to my lymph nodes. I underwent chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiotherapy and just as I started thinking it was all behind me, more cancer appeared in my liver so I’m now stage 4 and doing 3 weeks on, one week off chemo tablets. It’s going well, the tablets work and I’m starting to return to “new normal” life.

Can you tell me how you first got involved with Make 2nds Count?  

A good friend told me about Make 2nds Count as her friend also has stage 4 MBC. It seems that unfortunately there are a lot of people in the same boat but you only really hear about them once you’re in that same, unfortunate place. When I read the statistic that only 7% of funds raised for cancer go to secondary breast cancer I was pretty shocked and when my colleagues at work began discussing fundraising Make 2nds Count seemed the obvious and best choice. I’m also passionate about putting a positive spin on my situation and doing whatever I can to improve the situation for the next person who hears the same diagnosis.

Can you tell me more about why you chose to fundraise for us?

The work that Make 2nds Count does is invaluable to the community of people with SMBC and their families and friends. Research is how we’re going to find a cure or a better treatment but it’s not cheap and funding it is a great way to speed up research into treatments. The educational resources on the Make 2nds Count website are extremely useful to patients and their families. Mostly though, Make 2nds Count is an important way to show everyone how people are living with Stage 4 cancer and thriving with it.

Why is it important to you to have a charity dedicated to secondary breast cancer only?  

Secondary breast cancer is a far too little known disease, relative to the number of people who have it, it needs to gain a higher profile in order to support those living with it. I’ve dealt with people who have no idea what to say to me, which is hard on all involved, it would be wonderful if we could normalise Stage 4 a little so people undergoing treatment can lead lives that are as normal as possible.

Treatments must improve so that women diagnosed with it can live long happy lives. Personally I need the treatments to get better and work faster so that I can see my son grow up and become a boy, a teenager, an adult, I want to be with him whenever he needs me throughout his life. I certainly don’t want to leave a mom sized hole in his life. Make 2nds Count is important to me as it is helping raise awareness and raise money for a disease that is often forgotten about.