Kimberley Dolan : I believed I was going to die and not see 40

Last summer, Kimberley Dolan, then aged 38, received the life shattering news she had breast cancer.

In her own words, read how her world was turned upside down in the blink of an eye and how she has now fearlessly signed up for the Great Manchester Run for Prevent Breast Cancer, whilst still going through treatment.

Breast cancer wasn’t going to win

I was diagnosed with HER2 +, Hormone – Grade 3 IDCIS on 25th August 2023 after visiting my GP earlier in the month after finding a lump lying in bed one evening. We’d returned from a family holiday in Turkey just three days earlier. All of a sudden, I’m in the system being referred for suspected breast cancer. My whole world flipped upside down in the blink of an eye.

I’m a mum of two girls, Holly (11) and Evie (5) and also step mum to Amelia (18) and Charlie (14). A fiancée to Daniel, I have everything in the world to live and fight for.

From visiting my GP to starting chemotherapy treatment, it was less than six weeks, how amazing is our NHS?! It was fast paced; I didn’t get chance to stop and think in the early days. My breast cancer was aggressive, and it had spread to my lymph nodes, so it needed to be quick.

The part I remember the most and I don’t think I will ever forget is after telling Holly, she asked if I was going to pass away. How I handled my 11 old year-old daughter asking me that I’ll never know. It broke my heart seeing how upset she was, but it made me so determined to beat this disease and fight with everything I had for the sake of the kids and my wonderful partner, Daniel. They needed me and I needed them. Breast cancer wasn’t going to win, so on that day my fight started.

My treatment

My chemotherapy started on 29th September 2023, and it was a TCHP regime given over 18 weeks every 3 weeks at The Christie in Manchester. What an amazing and humbling place. Everyone in there is sent from above. A scary, tough experience for me and my family but that treatment has saved my life. I finished on 12th January 2024 when I rang the bell, full of emotion and relief, but also scared the protection of chemotherapy was over.

As tough as chemotherapy was, I now say “me and my new friend chemo”, as we worked so hard together in those 18 weeks, to the point that my tumour could no longer be seen at the halfway point MRI on imaging in my breast and lymph nodes. This meant my prognosis was even better due to this.

I’m now awaiting a date for surgery which is expected to be the end of February for a lumpectomy and once recovered from that I will have radiotherapy. I’m also receiving immunotherapy for the next 7 months as part of being Her2 + and this is administered to me at home by The Christie at Home Team – how amazing is that!

I hadn’t known how many different types of breast cancer there were and all the different treatments. Hearing you’re HER2 + meant nothing to me until I researched and leaned on my breast nurse for further understanding.

I knew I had to fight

At the start I was inconsolable, I cried and cried. I believed I was going to die, and I wouldn’t see the age of 40. I kept thinking about Sarah Harding passing away in 2021 and believed it would happen to me. Then something changed. I researched, I educated myself and leaned on everyone round me. I looked at my family and knew I had to fight. My consultant at The Nightingale & The Christie told me I was treatable and that’s what I hung to and used to fight. I was in the very best hands, so it was over to me to do my part now and support the chemo with a positive and optimistic mindset and that is what I did. The mind, I believe, can cure the body.

I can’t explain the joy in finishing chemotherapy and ringing the bell and seeing my children and the relief in their eyes, and the relief in my partner Daniel’s eyes. They are proud of me and I’m proud of myself. It brought me so much joy that I was strong enough to withstand the storm I’d been in.

I didn’t look like the Kimberley everyone knew

Breast cancer turned my world upside down. I lost half my hair as I cold capped which allowed me to keep 50% of my hair. If I’d not done this, then it would have been 100% hair loss, something I didn’t want the kids to see. I’ll be forever grateful to the Paxman Scalp Cooling technology and our wonderful NHS that offers this for free. I lost all my lashes and eyebrows and nearly 10kg in weight. I went from an outgoing, bubby person to someone who didn’t want to leave the house. Firstly, as I was poorly, but secondly because I didn’t look like the Kimberley everyone knew. Initially I thought that I wouldn’t survive as I knew nothing about breast cancer and that I’d leave my children without a mum at such a young age. It scared the life out of me. It frightened me having chemotherapy and what it would do to my body.

My partner Daniel though, what an amazing man he is. As silly as this sounds, breast cancer has brought us closer together than ever before. I now know what true love is after experiencing his unconditional love for me, holding me up throughout this ordeal and just being the knight in shining armour I needed. We get married in Cyprus in August 2024. In sickness and in health is a vow we both now understand more than ever.

A complete stranger became my guardian angel

I’d seen a friend share social posts of her friend who had gone through breast cancer not even a year before me. One week before starting chemotherapy, I asked my friend if her friend would mind talking to me and sharing her experience of chemotherapy. Within 30 minutes, Becky (my guardian angel as I now see her), was messaging me sharing intimate images of her experience and helping me with the cold capping part. Me and Becky still message now. We’ve never met in person but I’m sure we will when I’m well enough. I found so much comfort from her survival story and I couldn’t have done it without her!

I also found the Paxman Scalp Cooling Group & HER2 Group on Facebook my lifeline. I met and spoke to women all over the world who have fought or are fighting the same fight.

Grab life with both hands

The low points were watching my hair fall out in huge clumps and the first chemotherapy treatment. It was all unknown and I was so scared and felt so alone during that first one, not knowing if the side effects were normal and wondering how I’d survive another five of them. You need to make sure you lean on everyone around you for support. Give yourself a break on the days you find tough and remember this too shall pass.

It was such a high being told after three treatments they could no longer see the 8cm tumour. This then made me see the three remaining chemo treatments differently as it was saving my life and had melted the tumour away.

Life lessons I’ve learnt are grab life with both hands, not to let the small things bother you, not wasting time and appreciating everything and everyone in your life. I’ve stared death in the face having cancer but have a second chance with life and I plan to appreciate it in everything I do going forward once my treatment is over with.

The importance of awareness

I feel pride when I look back comparing to how I was when I was first told I had cancer. The last six months have been incredibly tough but with the support from my close family, my breast cancer nurse, consultants, and oncology nurses, I got through it. I’m now someone who wants to share my survival journey to help other women and I raise awareness constantly on my social media.

Prevent Breast Cancer is the future

I’m under the care of The Nightingale Centre where Prevent Breast Cancer is based and I’m incredibly grateful to be at the point I am, and I want to give back in any way I can.

Prevent Breast Cancer is the future. It’s the only UK based charity working on prevention and I hope in the next ten years the 151 people told each day they have breast cancer is dropped down to what they’re trying to achieve. This can only be done if we keep raising money and I want to be part of the solution in any way I can.

I can’t wait to run The Great Manchester Run 10k at the end of May on behalf of the charity. Running was my passion before breast cancer and so I’m now using that passion to raise money whilst doing something I love.

A breast cancer free future means everything to me. I want to see my children grow up. I want to see them have their babies. I want to marry the love of my life and spend forty plus years being his wife.

Thanks so much to Kimberley for sharing her story with us, and we wish her the best of luck for both her remaining treatment and for her charity run.

Feeling inspired? It could be you too at the Great Manchester Run 10k finishing line this year, having achieved something amazing for yourself and our charity.

Every step you run brings us a step closer to breast cancer free future. Sign up today.