What cancer TAUGHT US

In the UK, one in seven women will develop breast cancer, but for these women, their diagnosis led to inspiring life changes

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‘I craved space, fresh air and nature’

Esther Shaw, 45, lives in Devon with her husband, Rob, 42, and their two children, Jess, eight, and Josh, five.

As soon as I saw my consultant's face, I finally knew I was about to receive some good news. ‘There’s no evidence of the disease,’ she said. ‘Now, get out of my office and get on with the rest of your life,’ she smiled as my husband, Rob, then 38, and I walked away, relieved and elated.

It was October 2020, and I'd just had the toughest summer of my life. Seven months earlier, in March 2020, I'd found a small lump in my left breast while in the bath with my daughter, Jess, then four. The following month, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and several rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy followed. Now, although I felt relieved at the good news, I was still fraught with fear and worry. I tried to be strong for Jess and her younger brother, Josh, then 18 months, but it was tough.

I'd recovered physically, but the mental implications of what I'd been through hit me hard. I felt so vulnerable, all I could think was, ‘What if it comes back?’ Rob reasoned that none of us know how long we have, and he was right, of course, but I struggled to put my fears behind me. That year, I began seeing a counsellor. It wasn’t a quick fix, but it helped, and I learnt coping mechanisms - yoga, wild-water swimming and weight lifting, activities that kept me living in the moment. But by winter 2022, after 20 years of living in London, when I'd been cancer free for two years, I knew I needed a change. I craved more space and time outdoors, so Rob and I decided to move to the countryside.