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We are Katie, Jojo and Jess, three friends who have all experienced breast cancer first hand and want to help women facing or living with hair loss.​

During and after treatment, we met many women living with baldness. Some women had purchased wigs at great expense and not worn them, others had barely left the house having lost confidence in their look.  

We began creating The Bald Box to offer these women a simple starting point for living with hair loss that offered great value for money.

 

Katie ​

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In 2019 I found a lump in my left breast and booked an appointment with my GP. A nurse practitioner examined me

and said she couldn’t feel anything out of the ordinary[1]. She reassured me it was nothing to worry about and that if it

changed[2] at all or became painful I could come back. I left feeling relieved and was happy to accept her advice.

Five years later my mother-in-law was facing her final months after a diagnosis of secondary breast cancer. A friend at

work had also been diagnosed with breast cancer and it was at this time that I decided to book another appointment

with my GP as I still had the lump. Whilst approaching the date for this, Jess told me she had been diagnosed with

breast cancer. She’d found a lump when examining herself after JoJo had announced her own diagnosis. I was shocked

that two friends had also been diagnosed at almost the same time.

I attended my appointment and, whilst this nurse practitioner said she wasn’t concerned, I was given an appointment

to attend the hospital to have a mammogram and ultrasound. Jess had told me that she had attended her appointment

on her own and had been surprised to be given a strong indication on that day that it was likely to be cancer.

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Knowing this, I made the conscious decision to go alone. I didn't want to worry my mother. My husband Simon was

spending half of every week driving up north to visit his mother who was receiving end of life care, I didn’t want to add

to his load unnecessarily. My twin sisters, who would have doubtless dropped everything and arrived with cava and

canapés, were also not to be disturbed. I knew both were extremely busy professionally and Claire ironically, was just

weeks away from being appointed the CEO of Breast Cancer Now.

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I went to the hospital appointment and after a mammogram and ultrasound, I was told that what was visible looked like it could be cancer. Later I would be told I had a 24mm grade 3 and a 12mm Grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma ER+ and HER 2 negative. Throughout my diagnosis and treatment, I received the most exceptional care from the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. When dealing with so many cases on a daily basis it must be difficult to make each patient feel seen, understood and cared for, but they really did. A whirlwind of treatment swiftly began. A lumpectomy with six nodes removed, 8 sessions of chemotherapy (accelerated EC and accelerated Paclitaxel) over 16 weeks and 15 sessions of radiotherapy.

I referred to 2024 as my ‘Year of Yes’! I was fortunate enough to entirely trust the teams looking after me. Whatever they said I needed to do, I did, I said “yes” to everything. The love, support and kindness of friends and family meant everything to me. Whilst they couldn’t really help make it better, I felt I was absorbing every extra bit of strength I needed from them. Having Jess and JoJo going through the same experiences also meant I was not alone.

 

[1] no one else knows your ‘ordinary’                             

[2] the first change you noticed was the most noticeable, the one that made you take action. Any other changes will be less obvious. Just as a grandparent might tell a child “Goodness you’ve grown!”, those living with the children may not have noticed the gradual growth.

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Jess

 

                                                                          I got my diagnosis in January 2024. I found a lump on my left breast following a text from JoJo to let me know

                                                                          about her diagnosis news. What a lucky check!

                                                                          Both my GP and the doctor at the hospital didn’t think it was anything to worry about, but as soon as I went into 

                                                                          the ultrasound, I knew something wasn’t right. The consultant there and then told me it was cancer and did a biopsy. I                                                                        I then had an agonising wait (and I really think this was the worst part of the whole cancer process) while my biopsy                                                                               came back.  I got diagnosed with Grade 1 ER+, HER2 Neg breast cancer. On diagnosis I received a wonderful box of                                                                           treats from Little Lifts, a charity that donates boxes to breast cancer patients. On what could have been a very                                                                                       frightening and lonely day, this box of treats lifted my spirits.  I knew I was not alone, that people cared.

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                                                                         Within two weeks of diagnosis, I had my lumpectomy. During this two week wait, Katie rang announcing ‘she had                                                                                    joined the breast cancer club’! It is worth noting that we all had the same fabulous consultant, who not only calmed                                                                               my nerves but also made me feel positive about the process ahead.

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                                                                         The scars healed well and, other than getting cording, I felt pretty good. I then had 9 sessions of radiotherapy, which                                                                             went pretty smoothly. Oddly I missed going into the hospital once it was all finished! I was also put on Tamoxifen for                                                                             the next five years.

                                                                         It has now been a year since my lumpectomy and the past year has taught me how support from friends, family and                                                                               cancer charities has been so important. That being said, we hope this box of chosen essentials will provide you with a                                                                             morsel of hope and love during your time of treatment.

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Jo Jo

When I felt a pea like lump on my left breast I knew it wasn’t right. My GP agreed and referred me to the Norfolk and

Norwich Breast Care unit. The appointment was 3 weeks later, it was a horrible wait. Both my parents died from

cancer so my mind went into overdrive. I didn’t tell anyone as I didn’t want to worry those close to me but I think I

didn’t want to make it ‘real’.

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At the Breast Care Unit an ultrasound showed a lump so I had a biopsy. It was November 22nd my 20th Wedding

Anniversary. This made telling my husband even harder. But it was a relief to finally tell him, not that I knew much at

this stage. Tom came with me to all my appointments and it was great to have him there to hear things that I

sometimes missed. 

 

​A week later the consultant confirmed that I had a Grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, oestrogen receptor positive,

HER2 negative. They couldn’t see all the lump on the mammogram so I needed an MRI scan to see the extent of the

disease. The MRI showed 2 unrelated oestrogen receptor positive and HER2 negative tumours in my left breast, my

consultant hoped to be able to remove both by lumpectomy. Now that we had all of the information we decided it

was time to tell our two teenage boys. Telling them was the worst part of this whole thing.  We tried to break the news

as gently as possible, having all the facts meant we could reassure them about the hopeful outcomes. They were both

amazing, coping in their different ways.

 

On 20th December I had surgery to remove the tumours and the sentinel node biopsy. At this stage I hadn’t told many people as I didn’t want to spoil Christmas for my friends. I regret that now as I think you need as much support as possible from those closest to you. In January Jess got her diagnosis and then Katie shortly after. I feel very lucky to have two such strong friends who have helped me through the ups and downs. 

 

On 17th January I got the results from the operation. The tumours were removed with clear margins but a small amount of cancer had spread to my sentinel node. So a specimen had to be sent off for an Oncotype DX test to confirm if there was any need for chemotherapy. After a three weeks wait it was confirmed that I would not need chemotherapy, this meant that I could start taking Tamoxifen and start my course of radiotherapy. I had five sessions of radiotherapy and found the whole process a bit weird but very manageable. By the beginning of April I was really feeling pretty good again. Six months after surgery I had a clear MRI, then one year after surgery I had a clear mammogram. I still worry about whether or not the cancer will return but I am trying to lead a healthy lifestyle and feel lucky to have the support of friends and family.