|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi! My name is Karina and I am 43 years old. I have a wonderful, supportive husband called Charlie and a fantastic 15-year-old daughter, Claire. We live in Cumbernauld with our greyhound Jenny (40 mph couch potato) and a very senile cat called Tigger. I work as a Customer Service Advisor with BT in Glasgow. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2002. I had lost my mum several years before to cancer and my dad had cancer of the colon the year after, thankfully he’s doing really well. So, when I felt the lump in my right breast, I was pretty convinced that I knew what it was. Let me tell you about how I found the lump…. A friend of mine from the University course I was doing was getting married in Shrewsbury. I agonised over the right outfit – being a fat bird, weddings etc are a bit of a nightmare! At the last minute when I was trying the outfit on (just before packing it!) I realised that I didn’t have a suitable bra. Late night shopping, ran into Primark and grabbed something ‘in my size’ that looked to be about right. On the night of the ‘do’ was getting dressed when I realised that ‘my size’ had changed since the last time I bought a bra and this one was too damn tight! No choice – had to wear it, and boy it was a relief to get it off at the end of the night! Was left with a distinctly sore area at the right side where a bone had doubled over and dug in. Two days later, it was still sore and that was when I found the lump while I was showering… The treatment I received on the NHS was second to none and I was diagnosed and operated on within 3 weeks of finding it. That bra cost me all of £2 and could well have saved my life! I love to watch motorcycle racing, and have been to rounds of the British Superbikes in Knockhill, Donington and Mondello Park (nr Dublin). Last year my hubby treated us both to a visit to Estoril to the Moto GP there! It was fantastic! The photo you see was taken on that visit to Portugal as after the race, we went to the Algarve for 5 days. It was heaven! My first ‘bike’ was a 125cc scooter. I called it The Purple Peril – it was purple and I always felt in peril while riding it as it was too slow! I passed my 125 test and bought a 180cc scooter – it was a 2-stroke and went like stink! That got me ‘the need for speed’ and in June of 2002 I passed by big bike test and moved up to my first real bike. I managed about 4000 miles on it before diagnosis, haven’t ridden her much since, but will rectify that very, very soon. Other than bikes, my other hobbies are: reading, mostly sci-fi and fantasy (Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and the Harry Potter books) and also watching tons of sci-fi on TV. I am blessed/cursed with a rather irreverent sense of humour and have been known to speak my mind too readily with the odd expletive thrown in for good measure. I have been a regular visitor to the Breast Cancer Care website and contribute to their chat forums where we ‘survivors’ like to let off steam, have a rant and give/receive support from others. That’s how I found out about this ride. I’m really excited to be a part of this event and honoured to have been chosen. I’m also terrified! Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any donations you might make. Every little helps!
U.K. Donors: Click Here to Donate Now! U.S. Donors: Click Here to Donate Now!
Karina in the News "I'll Get on My Bike to Help Others Beat Cancer"
|
|
|
||||||
 |
