[Cat purring]

I'm Amanda Whetstone, I'm 47, and I live in Chessington, Surrey.

I was at work one day, regular day like every other,

and found a lump size of a lemon, gave it a good fiddle, you know, it moved.

I saw a surgeon, or part of the surgical team, who very quickly examined me and said,

'Oh, it's just an infected cyst, nothing to worry about,

however we'll give you a mammogram just to be on the safe side.'

But I heard them mention a mass and lymph node,

at which point I kind of thought this might not be quite as straightforward.

At the day of diagnosis I was in a relationship I'd been in for two years.

He had two children. I don't have any children. We pretty much lived together.

I lived with him in his house with his kids in a different county.

So the following day, went straight down there and wanted to talk to him about it and he didn't want to talk about it.

And I was facing the very real prospect that I might not be here this time next year.

We had a massive row and I left.

I stayed at friend's who literally live just round the corner.

I got no help from him whatsoever to take my stuff, or even a cuddle.

I heard nothing other than a quick text on the day of my surgery saying 'I hope everything goes well for you.'

So I went from being in a loving relationship with a partner that was going to help me and support me in every way

to suddenly realising I was on my own. It's isolation, again, because I'm different:

a, I had a rare form of breast cancer, and b, my partner left me.

Since having cancer I have had relationships, I've had normal relationships, sexual relationships.

Sex has been good, however I don't have the sex drive I had before.

Before cancer, I loved my body. It was fab. From diagnosis, you know, it changed.

My body shape changed. My breast was, I felt, hardly there.

There was a massive lump, part of it missing and I would hide that.

Since then, I've put weight on, and my breast is actually pretty much normal.

You actually wouldn't really know now that I've had breast surgery. I feel as though I've got my femininity back.

This journey is so horrendous. It is the roller coaster ride from hell.

I think partners, husbands, wives, families need to know there is a support network there for them as well,

dealing with you going actually through the disease and its various treatments.

And I'm three years since I was diagnosed,

and there's no way on this earth I could have got through this without Macmillan

because they were there before diagnosis, at diagnosis, afterwards -

practical support, emotional support, and they're still supporting me.

And it is just such a fabulous organisation to be involved in, and they care. You're part of a really fabulous family.

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

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