Holly Oldham: It feels like a dream…it all happened so fast

In 2022, 32-year-old Holly Oldham was diagnosed with breast cancer. To raise awareness, Holly recently spoke to Prevent Breast Cancer about her diagnosis, and how this led to a recent fundraising challenge for the charity.

I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma when I was just 30 years old. Following my diagnosis I went on to have successful lumpectomy surgery to remove the tumour, where it was confirmed that the cancer had not spread. I then went on to have chemotherapy as I was at risk of recurrence.

Prior to this, I underwent fertility treatment and had a successful egg collection to safeguard my fertility post-treatment. I was then put into a menopausal state by being given a Zoladex injection to further protect my ovaries, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy, over five months. I used the cold cap to try and save my hair from falling out. I still lost around 40% but was grateful to save the remainder. Shortly after chemotherapy had finished, I had ten sessions of radiotherapy over ten days to try and prevent the cancer from coming back locally.

Holly’s treatment finished in May 2023, and she had her yearly mammogram in September 2023 which marked a year since her diagnosis, and the results showed no evidence of disease.

I am now taking Tamoxifen which keeps my estrogen levels low, so I am in a continual menopausal state aged 32. I will be on this medication for the next ten years minimum and will have yearly mammograms for life alongside six-monthly nurse appointments, but this is a small price to pay. I am happy to stay vigilant in taking my medication and checking myself regularly as those checks ultimately saved my life.

We asked Holly how she first felt after her diagnosis and her subsequent treatment:

My initial feelings were to panic and assume I was going to die. This was before I researched into the treatments and the number of women who had been diagnosed with the exact same as me. I wish I’d known more about younger women getting breast cancer though, and that it’s not just a disease which is prevalent in older women, it can impact anyone. I was reassured that being a more common type of cancer, consultants were able to predict how it might behave and come up with effective treatment strategies to save my life.

Towards the end of chemotherapy I felt like I was stuck and there was no way of getting out, suffering the same side effects every time. I remember the relief the day I rang the bell after my 6th round. As the months passed, a little bit of anxiety developed as I was paranoid it was going to return. I think that it will always be at the back of my mind, but the regular check-ups and reassurance definitely help that.

Before breast cancer, Holly admits that she used to worry an awful lot:

I had a really anxious outlook on life. Now that one of the worst things has happened and I’ve managed to overcome it, I feel like I am invincible and could tackle anything. On a day-to-day basis I am a lot more positive, and I have also realised that life is too short. I’ve learnt not to ‘sweat the small stuff’ anymore and even changed my job role to have a work life balance, taken up new hobbies and booked lots of holidays and trips away.

It feels like a dream as it all happened so fast, yet I was going through it for eight months in total, so my life was put on hold. When I tell people the story from beginning to end, I feel like I’m talking about someone else, and I find myself having the sudden realisation that this traumatic experience really did happen to me.

Holly recently ran The Manchester 10k, raising over a thousand pounds for Prevent Breast Cancer:

The run was my first fundraising event for the charity. It was a huge personal achievement, and I am super proud of my journey. The ladies I met on the day were so incredibly supportive and are doing some amazing work for the charity, which I am proud to have been able to support.

I’m now going to be running the Manchester Half Marathon for Prevent Breast Cancer in October, and I’m looking forward to raising more vital funds for the charity.

We asked Holly what a breast cancer free future would mean to her:

It means everything to me. I was diagnosed at 30 and I’m now 32, so hopefully the treatment and battle I have had means I have a very long breast cancer free future ahead.

If Holly has inspired you, make sure to check out Prevent Breast Cancer’s upcoming challenge events, including our exciting new October running challenge, Run for Research.