Rayleigh mum takes on charity walk to thank Southend chemotherapy unit that "saved" her life
She was given the all clear in 2024
A mum from Rayleigh, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, is taking part in Mid and South Essex Hospital Charity’s Walk for Wards, to thank the staff in Southend Hospital’s Chemotherapy unit for her life-saving care.
Jessica Ingle-Wood will be taking part in the 7kn walk along Southend seafront on Sunday 21st September.
The walk allows anyone to raise money for a ward or service of their choice.
Jessica had 16 rounds of chemotherapy before her all clear in early 2024, she said:
"I was, as you do, having a shower and felt a lump on my right breasts and you know, alarm bells immediately went off.
"Got a GP appointment. Got referred under the two week urgent referral scheme and they were very quick. I was in the unit within those two weeks and on the same day that I went in to, you know, they felt the lump, checked it, and then I had a mammogram, an ultra scan, and then had to go back for a biopsy or on the same day, and on that very day they told me that it was breast cancer.
"I was shocked that they told me that day.
"I thought we'd have to wait for the biopsy results, but they could tell that everything about it was cancer. And so they wanted me to get over the initial shock.
"When I got the biopsy results back, they could tell me the type it was and the treatment plan.
"It was a week and I was back in the consultant's office and they told me it was triple negative breast cancer, which is quite an aggressive form of breast cancer and that I would need the full works of treatment, which would be chemotherapy, 16 rounds of that with immunotherapy, which was fairly new drug to be used for breast cancer at that time. So I felt hopeful to be given a new drug as well for breast cancer.
"And then surgery, which was a lumpectomy after I finish the 16 rounds of chemo and then followed by radiotherapy."
She also said:
"The the staff at the chemo unit in Southend were absolutely amazing. They were like your own little personal guardian angels.
"They were really, really reassuring because obviously you're on your own in the chemo unit. You can't have family with you or anything.
"It's a big drug to have for the first few times. It was very reassuring having them there and literally all the staff from the nurses who are amazing, then the sisters, the beverage staff that would come round.
"They know what you're sitting in that chair going through. They see it every day for however many years they've been there, and they can tell if you're not quite yourself in the end and you really get to know them and build up that relationship with them like I still miss them even now now like, because I was seeing them every week for six months.
"You really do build like a lovely relationship with them and they are really caring."
Jessica will be taking part in the Mid and South Essex Hospital Charity's Walk for Wards on Sunday 21st September, she said:
"When I saw it as a nice 7km loop of the seafront, I was like, that's doable. I can do that. It felt nice that, you know, it was something that I could take part in despite all the treatment side effects.
"When I was signing up for it, I saw that your donations or fundraising could go towards a particular unit. And I was like straight away, I was like chemo unit, Southend, they deserve like whatever they need.
"I really want to make raise loads of money for them to help them out.
"It's part of me thanking them for what they did for me as a thank you, something that I could give back to a ward that gave so much to me in the toughest time of my life."