[Cat purring]

My name is Karen. I live in Hertfordshire. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2009.

I first knew something was wrong when I discovered a lump in my right breast.

I phoned up the breast clinic at St Albans and asked for an appointment.

They sent me through to have a mammogram and a needle biopsy,

and they discovered that it was malignant cancer.

Before I had the cancer I worked, so I had money coming in to pay the bills and everything

– be comfortable and go out every now and again and take the girls to the cinema or whatever.

Unfortunately, since the cancer, I’m now not working and I’m on my own now.

I fell through the net because I’m in a bracket where because I’ve worked,

I can only go on a certain type of benefit, which is an Employment Support Allowance

and because I’ve worked and paid stamp it’s contribution based,

which then stops me from getting any winter fuel payments

and a lot of other things.

The other problem I had was my chemotherapy started in the winter.

It started at the beginning of October.

And of course they say to you, 'You’ve got to keep warm, you’ve got to stay in, you mustn’t go near anyone,

or catch anything because your immune system is going to be shot to pieces.'

So you do tend to want to keep in and wrapped up warm,

and then you’re worrying about the heating bills.

My boiler went wrong and I could not find the money to just have it done.

My breast care nurse, Macmillan breast care nurse,

spoke to me and said that Macmillan actually do grants for these sorts of things.

And we sent off the form. Very kindly they gave me a grant

which meant that I could get the boiler done and I realised at that point

that Macmillan do actually have a benefits help line,

which if anyone needs help, if they’re unsure about what they’re entitled to et cetera,

give them a call because they’re really, really helpful.

I sat down one day and went on the internet, and went on the Macmillan website

and it said about all the different things you could do, become a Cancer Voice.

So I signed up for that. I found it absolutely brilliant.

I met lots of people in exactly the situation as me –

who have been through it and come out the other side

who are just looking for something else to take them forward really.

It’s great. I really enjoy it.

Thinking towards the future, five, hopefully ten years down the line,

I just want to stay as healthy as possible and be here for my girls.

[New speaker] For information, help, or if you just want to chat,

call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, or visit macmillan.org.uk