Jane McKenzie-Smith Nottingham, England United Kingdom Amazon Heart Thunder United Kingdom 2007 Experienced Rider   Click Here to Donate Now!

Hi, im Jane, alias Posh. So called because i ride a Ducati and refuse to trump infront of anybody. I passed my bike test 4 years ago and bought a Ducati Monster 600. Joined my local bike group, NTS (Nottingham Tank Slappers). I have made some fantastic friends and had lots of fantastic times out with them. Without the unwavering support of my family and friends and of course my bike my journey through breast cancer would have been a very different one. As it was i had a lovely 2005. All the way through my post op recovery, chemo and radio course they never let me get down. I was very lucky that most of the time i felt very well and believed i looked very well. I must admit a real plus side of the whole thing was dropping to a trim size 10, even though I am now back to what i should be it was nice to borrow someone elses body for a couple of years.

My lump decided to show itself one night at the end of October 04. I was amazed when i saw it cos im sure it wasnt there that morning in the shower. I popped to the doc's the next day, 3 days later popped to the breast institute at hospital for tests. The following week popped back for the results. As i had never been ill in my life before and was seperating from my husband of 18 years that weekend I hadnt really given a lot of thought to the result, so i was very suprised when the specialist said i needed an operation to remove the little blitter. My life was so busy at that time but i checked my diary and said i could probably spare 4 weeks off over christmas.

A few days before i was due to go in i had a bit of a dither about it. It seemed such a little lump, what harm could it do, it didnt even hurt. So i phoned my best friend at 6 o'clock one morning and said i didnt think i was going to have the op, it didnt seem that bad and she just said, 'OK but you know you will die then dont you'. That did it for me i didnt dither again. I went in 2 weeks before christmas and had a mastectomy. I came home 2 days before christmas and on new years day I was out on the back of my friends GSX1100.

Convinced that was the end of it and i would be back at work in a couple of weeks i was devastated when they said i had to have chemo and radio treatment and that i probably wouldn't work again until september. I took to my bed and sulked for 3 days. Then i started to think about all the people with other sorts of cancer and what they must be going through and how lucky i was that mine was breast cancer and that thanks to the amount of research and massive advances in the treatment of breast cancer i was in a very good position. I hope that one day all types of cancer will be as treatable as breast cancer and breast cancer will be 100% sortable.

I have since had reconstruction surgery and a bit of a tweak to the other side and in the words of one of our most distinquished fellow bikers i now have a 'Fine chest'.

I have 3 fantastic children, Luke 18, Kate 15 and Jack 13, 1 crazy dog called Bentley and 1 special friend Ray, who thinks i am the best thing since sliced bread. I work as a childminder and look after lots of lovely children. I love my life and try to live it to the absolute max. Having breast cancer has changed me. Its made me more determined to achieve every goal i had set myself in life, and to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. It made me look at others in a different way because you never know what that person is going through just by looking. There are a lot of very brave people coping with cancer and i am proud to be a member of a very elite gang.

One of my goals was to ride a Harley Davidson - i never imagined i would get to ride one for 1000 miles, and for such a worthwhile cause. I hope it makes a difference to someone elses life as much as im sure it will mine. I couldnt think of a louder way for women to shout 'look at us, we're OK and we can ride big boys bikes too'.

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