About

Hi everybody, we’re Team Greenhalgh and we’re walking the MoonWalk this May to raise money and awareness for the ongoing fight against breast cancer. The team is me, Kate and Rob, with Mum and Dad sitting this one out, having walked in previous years.

As some of you will know, breast cancer has hit our family twice in the last several years but, thankfully, and in large part because of the tremendous fundraising efforts from charities such as Walk the Walk, both Dad and Kate received excellent care and support, and are out on the other side. Dad’s diagnosis in May 2014 hit like a bolt from the blue; it was a total shock and seemed unfair. But cancer isn’t fair, it doesn’t discriminate, it sadly still affects so many families and we’re just one of them. What it did do though was bring us together. Not that we weren’t close or didn’t get on persay, but adversity does have its benefits and I think we’ve all experienced that one way or another over the past couple of years. Male breast cancer is very rare, with 1 case for every 100 women diagnosed in the UK, but awareness has definitely increased since Dad’s battle. I’m very proud of the sterling work Dad and the other members of the ‘men with breast cancer’ group have done to raise awareness and encourage us chaps to check ourselves as well.

Given the rarity of Dad’s diagnosis, genetic testing was conducted to understand why he developed the disease and it was discovered that he’s BRCA2 positive, a harmful defect in that particular gene that increases the likelihood of developing the cancer. Kate, along with some other extended family members also tested positive, which was obviously very concerning but it has meant that they’ve been having regular screenings since, in order to spot any problems as early as possible.

Being BRAC2 positive it was more likely than not that Kate would develop the disease in her lifetime, but it still doesn’t prepare you for the diagnosis, especially at the age of 34 and with two very young children. Kate was diagnosed on Mum’s birthday, 13th March 2020 and then had her operation on the day the UK entered its first National covid lockdown, 23rd March 2020. It was a terrible time for so many people, but it must have been particularly awful for Kate. Mum & Dad were able to see her in the couple of weeks leading up to her op but after that they could only support her, like the rest of us, via facetime and zoom. Kate had tremendous support from her husband, James, and the four of them decamped to her parents-in-law in North Devon, where they stayed for months whilst Kate was receiving her chemotherapy and generally trying to stay as far away from covid as possible. Thankfully Kate is doing brilliantly now. She completed a tough mudder last weekend, so Rob and I know we’re going to have our work cut out to keep up with her on the night!

So that’s our family story with breast cancer, and why we’re walking the MoonWalk this year. Cancer is a terrible disease, but we’re the lucky ones, too many people lose loved ones to it and that’s why we need your help in raising much needed money for further research and support.

Thank you so much in advance for anything that you can give! 🙏🏃‍♀️❤️

Best wishes,

Team Greenhalgh