Jan's story

The Diagnosis

I remember reading an article in The Daily Mail about Prof. Jane Plant's wonderful 'no dairy' diet and how it saved her life even before I was ever diagnosed. So when I found out the devastating news that I had breast cancer stage 2 in two places, I knew that the first thing I must do was to eliminate dairy from my diet. It wasn't so hard as I had been watching my cholesterol in any case, so I had been taking in very little dairy at that time anyway. In fact I felt so healthy, nobody believed that I was undergoing treatment for cancer! So many things helped me through that year, it was as if the last six months had been pointing precisely here, getting my body ready for what was to come.

I was also lucky because I had some great advice from my family and friends, both my sisters were complementary health practitioners and my cousin, a nurse. I changed my diet giving up dairy products and eating more fruit and salads and took plenty of exercise and rest in equal portions, particularly while having my chemotherapy for those first six months. By the time I got to the point where I was due to have my mastectomy, my lump had shrunk from 4cm to less than 1cm and the one in my lymph nodes had virtually disappeared! My consultant was amazed - and, of course, delighted. So I had a lumpectomy and lymph node removal. Afterwards, I went on to have radiotherapy and took tamoxifen as prescribed and am now about to embark on Letrozole for the next 5 years.

"I can honestly say I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It gave me a new strength that I didn't know I had, showed me that I had more in reserve than I ever thought possible, and opened up a whole new life for me. My motto is 'carpe diem' live for the day and make the most of every single second!"

The Website

When I first heard those fateful words, 'you have cancer' in March 2001, my world started to crumble. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and my head began to swim. From that day on, my comfortable little world changed forever. Through the haze of voices and the jumble going on around me - I was aware of another lady who was receiving the same devastating news - I resolved to find out who she was so we could help each other through this.

We became the best of buddies and discussed all the things that were happening to us that no-one else understood because WE were the ones experiencing it, feeling it and living through it. How it felt, the treatments, the laughter and the tears along the way. For the 9 months of treatment, we walked hand in hand until we emerged cancer-free at the end after the most incredible roller coaster journey of our lives.

The idea for Cancer Buddies Network had been born. I wanted everyone going through their own cancer experience to have the comfort of a buddy who could understand them, the way that I had done. After being unable to find anywhere on the internet where you could get this kind of one to one support, Cancer Buddies Network was launched in August 2006 after 3 years of hard work, fundraising and help from family and friends. Do come and check us out, we'd love to have you visit us at www.cancerbuddiesnetwork.org and find your own buddy among our many members.

... Other success stories

See also some reviews of Jane Plant's books !