Hundreds of people raising money for Breast Cancer Now's pink ribbon walks at Blenheim Palace
Louise Porter is walking a mile for every year of her life
Hundreds of people are raising money for Breast Cancer Now as they're walking 10 or 20-miles today, which starts and finishes at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
Around 55,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.
The Pink Ribbon Walks is a fundraising event by Breast Cancer Now which has raised more than £15 million with 50,000 walkers taking on the challenge over the past 20 years.
It is set across four locations between April and June: Hampton Court Palace, Blenheim Palace, Crieff Hydro in Scotland, and Chatsworth House.
Louise Porter is taking part in the walk and tells us her story about how it was especially hard being treated for breast cancer during the pandemic.
“I was going through chemotherapy, and the side effects were just awful because it's a poison.
“I was on my own for a lot of time because of COVID and that was obviously very, very difficult. So, it was just coping with the different side effects that were thrown at you.
“I lost my nails, I lost my hair, and generally it was always worse in the middle of the night when I woke up and you didn't quite know what was happening to me, but there was always a 24/7 helpline number.
“I never ever gave up because I wanted to survive and there were times when you just thought, I can't do this, but that wasn't an option.
“I just kept digging deep and always knew it would come to an end. It wasn't forever and once the chemotherapy stopped, your body has this amazing way of recovering.”
Ms Porter is walking a mile for every year of her life as she turns sixty later this year, after being clear of cancer for five years.
She added: Blenheim is really special for me because I did the walk and volunteered pre-cancer, now I’m doing the walk post-cancer.
“Also, I think you drive in, and you actually drive through the palace gates and it's just amazing. It's just such a special, special place and the countryside around there is fantastic.”