There’s a house in London where you can go and get information, support and advice, attend workshops and classes, have a healthy drink and a bite to eat, or just sit and chill. The Future Dreams House in Kings Cross is that place and we welcome everyone from the breast cancer community. There was a special opening event earlier last year and in this special bonus episode, we hear from some of our supporters from the world of politics and journalism who were there, and have seen the house go from...
Aug 19, 2024•19 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Nearly half of women have dense breasts but many of them won’t know it, as only a mammogram will confirm if you have them. That same mammogram may not be able to pick out whether there’s any cancer there. Following a mammogram, women with dense breasts should consider additional screening such as ultrasound or MRI. Having dense breasts does increase your risk of breast cancer so it’s time more people know about them. Learn more at DenseBreast-info.org/Europe In this episode, Victoria talks to he...
Aug 12, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 12
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. They talk about how they rationali...
Apr 15, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 11
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. In this episode Victoria talks to women who tell their stories and how they developed coping mechanisms for handling the...
Apr 08, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 10
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. She is also joined by a man who set up a group to help men support each ...
Apr 02, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 9
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. Brought to you by the Future Dreams charity, "And Then Came Breast Canc...
Mar 26, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 8
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. In this episode Victoria – who stripped off twice for the “Full Monty” series, wrote a book and appeared on “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” after her recovery, talks ...
Mar 19, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 7
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. Their stories are uplifting and poignant and they are joined by Jackie, Future Dreams’ Breast ...
Mar 12, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 6
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. Brought to you by the Future Dreams charity, "And Then Came Breast Cancer"...
Mar 05, 2024•35 min•Season 3Ep. 5
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. That doesn’t mean being obstructive or challenging the doctors at every turn, it means simply m...
Feb 27, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 4
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. They talk openly ab...
Feb 20, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 3
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. Victoria is joined by two couples who share their stories on how they have adapted, and a single woman out dating again. "And Th...
Feb 13, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Getting a breast cancer diagnosis is traumatic enough when it comes as a surprise. What if you know there’s a higher chance you might get breast cancer because of a genetic fault? Not only that, it might get passed on to your children. If you have close relatives who have had breast or ovarian cancer you may have a higher risk of developing the disease yourself. Most cases of breast cancer don’t run in families but if there’s a problem with the BRCA 1 or 2 genes, your chances of getting it go up...
Feb 06, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 1
What is the difference between a radiotherapist and a radiologist ? Stage 3 and Grade 3 ? If you’re told you have carcinoma in situ, how bad is that? When you are diagnosed with breast cancer it marks the beginning of the steepest learning curve you’ve probably ever been on. You’re learning a whole new lexicon while you are coping with the stress and the fear of knowing you now have a serious illness. In this episode Victoria has two guests to help us work through the terminology and vocabulary ...
Jun 27, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 15
The drugs you take when you’ve had a breast cancer diagnosis can prolong your life by reducing the chances of your cancer coming back. But they can also come with some pretty unpleasant side effects- from hot flushes and fatigue- to pain and depression. In this episode, Victoria speaks to women who’ve experienced a variety of hormone therapy treatments- and gets some advice and guidance from consultant medical oncologist Dr Fharat Raja, who specialises in breast cancer care. Brought to you by th...
Jun 21, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 14
It may sound obvious, but what you eat during and after breast cancer treatment is hugely important for the way in which you deal with the illness, and helps you towards the hoped-for recovery. In this bonus edition of the podcast, guest presenter Louise Court talks to nutritionist and dietician Jane Clarke who shares advice and ideas drawn from her more than 30 years of experience in this field. Brought to you by the Future Dreams charity, "And Then Came Breast Cancer" is for everyone whose liv...
Jun 13, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 13
It should be one of the happiest stages of a woman’s life when they find out they are having a child. But in around one in a thousand pregnancies cancer, in one of its forms, can rear its ugly and unwelcome head. The changes in a woman’s body during that time can disguise breast cancer symptoms. Getting a diagnosis then or soon after giving birth can be psychologically, emotionally, and physically draining-and frightening. But there is help out there. In this episode, Victoria speaks to women wh...
Jun 06, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 12
It would be impossible to do a series helping women when they get a breast cancer diagnosis if we don’t talk about dying-or the fear of dying. For many people that is a conversation they don’t want to have or it may be a conversation they don’t want to have right now- which is understandable. Others find it therapeutic and helpful to have frank conversations about it. If this is you, please listen to this special episode, where guest presenter Louise Court talks to three women about how they hav...
May 30, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Dawn Butler is the Labour MP for Brent Central and became the first elected African-Caribbean woman to become a government minister in the UK. Dawn arrived in Westminster via work on a market stall, a family-owned bakery ,and as a computer programmer. She also has breast cancer and was diagnosed last year, during Covid. She has decided for the very first time, to share her story with presenter Victoria Derbyshire on this podcast. It is a frank, emotional and, at times humorous account of one wom...
Mar 28, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 10
When you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, your friends will play a big part in how you deal with the treatment and emotions that follow. It could be a voice at the end of a phone in the middle of the night or a ready-made meal hand-delivered to your door, but the strength and support of your mates will mean a lot. But of course, some friends don’t know what to say, and go quiet. In this episode, Victoria speaks to women -and their friends -as they share stories of how their lives changed- but th...
Mar 15, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer is frightening enough, but imagine getting that distressing news when you are in your 20s? In this episode, host Victoria Derbyshire talks to women who were given the news when their adult life had only just begun. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity, "And Then Came Breast Cancer" is for everyone whose lives have been touched by the disease. If you would like to contact us for help and advice please email [email protected] or don...
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 8
This special edition of the podcast comes from The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, where every single day, work is going on to get to the day in the future, when breast cancer is no more. Host Victoria Derbyshire visits Professor Clare Isacke and her team of scientists in the lab she runs, doing vital work to give people with breast cancer hope for the future. Victoria also talks to Jasmin- a woman who took part in a clinical trial whic...
Mar 03, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 7
How frank should you be with your kids when you need to tell them that you have breast cancer? What words should you use or avoid? It’s a tough conversation to deal with especially when you are learning to cope yourself with a diagnosis. Victoria talks to three women - with children of different ages - who have had to break the news of - and help them through - their own breast cancer experience. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity, "And Then Came Breast Cancer" is for ever...
Jan 05, 2022•50 min•Season 2Ep. 6
A woman’s relationship with her body changes after a breast cancer diagnosis - and the same goes for the bra she wears - during, and after treatment. A good bra can boost your confidence at a difficult time when perhaps you feel your body doesn’t look the same. In this episode, Victoria gets expert advice from women about the different kinds of bras that are available in all shapes and sizes, and how to make the choices that are right for you. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Ch...
Jan 05, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 5
For many women, a breast cancer diagnosis can mean long and gruelling rounds of chemo and radio therapy, on top of an operation. It can be a grim routine but for those who come through it, how do you cope when the treatment stops? When it’s all over? Do you feel elated? Or deflated? In this episode, Victoria talks to three women who share their tips and advice on how they managed to deal with that time - both physically and mentally. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity, "An...
Jan 05, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Getting a breast cancer diagnosis is for many women the beginning of a gruelling journey that thankfully ends with a doctor telling them that after all the treatment, they are now cancer-free. It is a moment of great joy and relief, but for some of those women, they then have to deal with the almost daily fear that it might come back. This episode brings Victoria together with women who share their advice and experiences on how to deal with those feelings. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Bre...
Dec 01, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 2
When you receive a breast cancer diagnosis, the decision on who to share the news with is a very personal one, and some women choose not to tell anyone at all. In this special episode to launch the second series - recorded at the Future Dreams House- Victoria talks with a group of women , including the actor Elizabeth Hurley and TV presenter Sian Williams, on the decisions they and others made when breast cancer arrived in their lives. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity, "...
Dec 01, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 1
How do you feel about your breasts- and how does a cancer diagnosis change those feelings? Victoria Derbyshire talks to four women whose bodies have been changed by surgery and treatment. How much does it go to the heart of a woman's body image, their femininity and self-confidence? Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity, "And Then Came Breast Cancer" is for everyone whose lives have been touched by the disease. If you would like to contact us for help and advice please email ...
Aug 29, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 13
How important is faith in helping you through your breast cancer journey? In this episode Victoria Derbyshire talks to women who have religious beliefs- and one who doesn't- to hear how their convictions were challenged -and perhaps strengthened- by a breast cancer diagnosis. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity, "And Then Came Breast Cancer" is for everyone whose lives have been touched by the disease. If you would like to contact us for help and advice please email podcast...
Aug 22, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 12
The Future Dreams charity was founded in 2008 by mother and daughter Sylvie Henry and Danielle Leslie. These two extraordinary women lost their lives to breast cancer but were determined to leave a legacy that no woman should ever have to go through the illness alone. In this special episode, Victoria talks to some of the people who knew Danielle and Sylvie the best, and hears that their story is as uplifting and empowering as it is poignant. Brought to you by the Future Dreams Breast Cancer Cha...
Aug 15, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 11
