Justine C Photography: 295 - Cancer Awareness

Here is one amazing women. Someone who anyone would be proud to know. Strong, kind and gorgeous all in one lovely little package.

Sometimes bad things do happen to good people.

She is living proof you can fight cancer!

Lisas' story.

March 2007, Mammogram, followed by ultra sound scan and deep core biopsy, all on the same day, told on that day that I had cancer. Three weeks later I had a radical mastectomy to remove a 10cm tumour.

June 2007 - 4 weeks of radiotherapy, going to James Cook everyday for treatment, which was successful.

April 2008 - Second Mastectomy (prophylactic) this was a skin and nipple sparing mastectomy, During the same operation I have a double latimus Dorsi reconstruction, taking the skin and muscle from my back to 'build' a new breast shape. 7 days in hospital, 6 fluid drains in situ, and lots of morphine, recovery time was 6 weeks.

February 2012 - Replacement of left implant, due to capsular contraction, scar tissue had formed around the implant and strangled the implant - recovery time was 4 weeks.

January 2013 - Nipple reconstruction, lyposculpting fat grafting carried out, to fill out my boobs and soften the look of the implants, Fat was removed from my stomach, love handles, hips and thighs, it is then processed and injecting into the breasts. Wore a body cast for 10 days, and recovery time was about a month, Results were excellent but a very painful procedure with very bad bruising.

I had no idea, until we had finished shooting, that Lisa was scared for me to see her scars in case I was horrified by them.

The only thing I thought was wow! Her boobs look amazing. Her body tells you an amazing story of survival and courage. I've always thought Lisa was a gorgeous women. Remarkably she has wonderfulness inside and out! Impressive.

Now I know that carries on to the rest of her.

Lisa -

Mollie was only one year old and I was only 36, and instead of being able to enjoy my new baby, I was having to face the hardest battle of all. It was unfair and it mad me so angry, but being told that I might not make it to Christmas focused my mind on just dealing with the treatment. The hardest thing I have ever had to do was to make the phone call to my mum to tell her that I had cancer, she too had breast cancer when she was in her early 50's. I know that she blamed herself for what was happening to me.

Having a mastectomy is such a double edge sword, you know it is saving your life, but it makes you feel less of a woman, it took me months to stop crying every time I had a shower! Radiotherapy was scary but the treatment itself was OK, it just makes you really tired and feel a bit sick, but you know its for the best. It was difficult six months later though, when my hair started snapping off at the roots, and I ended up looking like David Walliams, with a very lopsided haircut!

The reconstruction was a long operation, 10 hours in total, and afterwards I felt like I had been hit by a train! but it did make me start to feel like a woman again. The scars on your mind are often worse than the ones on your body.

When I met tony, I had to tell him what had happened to me and warn him about how I look, its an awful conversation to have to have, and its the fact that cancer keeps on defining who you are - its just unfair.

My friends and family were amazing and helped me so much, especially following all my operations and allowing me to recover fully. It really is at times like this that you realise just how important true friends are.

Tony has been my rock since meeting him and has given me confidence that I didn't know I would ever have again, without him I wouldn't have had the strength to be able to do today.