And Then Came Breast Cancer - A Future Dreams Podcast

This episode is not about secondaries – that was Series 1, Episode 7. Nor is it about the fear of it coming back- that was Series 2, Episode 2. This is about when you think breast cancer is at last behind you. And then you receive the news that you have got it again. A second primary diagnosis - lightning, in the worst way, striking twice.

Victoria is joined by three women who have been through that scenario- something that affects around ten per cent of women...

There’s a lot of help and information out there for women who have to undergo chemotherapy. Perhaps there’s a bit less about radiotherapy for two reasons - it is not perceived as being as debilitating as chemo and possibly because it comes afterwards, hopefully when you are almost on the ‘home straight’.

For many women it isn’t straightforward, neither mentally nor physically...

Surgery is a part of many women’s breast cancer stories and this episode puts some of your points and queries to a breast cancer surgeon who also explains why she and her colleagues make the decisions they do.

Victoria is joined by a guest who felt that before she had surgery she had no idea what the results would look like- so decided to create a resource that will help many women going through breast cancer in the future...

This is the first of two episodes looking at surgery - which is the right operation for you - what do terms like lumpectomy and mastectomy mean and should you have reconstruction? And if so, when and how?

Three women share their stories with Victoria in this episode - how their fears and anxieties were overcome and how they made the decisions they did. Some of their points will be put to a breast cancer surgeon in Episode 9...

We don’t talk about ‘fighting’ the disease on this podcast but we do talk about how people are left changed by the experience of having had breast cancer. Many women decide that post-cancer they want to do something different- that from now on, it’s about experiences and living life to the full. In short, to be bold and brave...

Everyone’s cancer journey is unique and in this episode you’ll hear how Victoria’s guests demonstrate that by talking frankly about their differing responses to being told they had breast cancer. The fact that two of those guests are sisters only adds to the point. Cathy and Tracey - two siblings of seven - were diagnosed a few months apart and despite their closeness, they got on it in different ways...

Victoria was diagnosed with her breast cancer in 2015 and she didn’t have an obvious lump. She was told she had a form of breast cancer called “lobular” and in this episode she is joined by an expert to explain what it is, how you can spot it, and what the treatment options are.

Victoria’s other guests are women like her, who until diagnosis, were unaware of what Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (to give it its full title) was...

A breast cancer diagnosis can make you feel like you have no control. Every decision is in the hands of the experts who are now taking care of you. But there is a way when your voice can be heard- that you work with the professionals who will save your life and make sure your opinion is taken on board.

In this episode, Victoria talks about “advocacy” or to put it another way, standing up for yourself...

How does your relationship cope when you are diagnosed with breast cancer and your partner is not only a high profile politician but he spends a lot of time travelling for his job?

This special episode, from easily the grandest room we’ve ever recorded in, features Susie Cleverly, a wife and mother who was told she had breast cancer in 2021. Her husband James, who represents an Essex constituency, was Foreign Secretary when this interview took place and is now Home Secretary...

What does a breast cancer diagnosis mean for your sex life, now and in the future? As you digest the news that you have the disease, are you worried that your body may not look the same and how might that affect your confidence when it comes to intimacy?

The Future Dreams charity gets so many questions about this, which is why this episode is needed, honest and moving...