When Lesley Shaw discovered she had breast cancer, her world stopped, she tells Julia Breen. Six years and a partial mastectomy later, she is running Bouncing Back, the only shop in the North which specialises in underwear for women in the same situation

IT was New Years Eve 2002, but Lesley Shaw wasnt popping champagne corks. She was sitting in a clinic waiting to find out if she had breast cancer. She had discovered a lump in her breast three weeks earlier C her third lump: the first two turned out to be benign.

By the third time she visited the clinic, the former nurse had worked out how it operated. The women who didnt have cancer were called in first.

I had lumps in the past, but I knew in my heart of hearts that it was different this time, says Lesley. By the time they got to me, I knew it wasnt good news. I knew it was cancer. Everything just stops.

You cant focus. You cant think about anything and your life goes on hold.

Lesleys three children were aged just five, seven and nine when she had to sit them down and tell them that she was ill.

They all reacted quite differently, she says. The little one thought it was something she had done that caused the problem.

The specialists say this is quite a common reaction among young children, that they associate it with their own actions.

But she was quite open and cried and talked about what was going on, whereas with the older ones it could be difficult because they tended to bottle it up more, and it was hard to know what they were thinking.

Lesley chose to have a lumpectomy, but this didnt remove all the cancerous cells so she had to return for a partial mastectomy.

She also had extensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy to treat the cancer. But the worst time, she says, is when she lost her hair.

I think the kids found that the worst.

They found it embarrassing because I was going out with wigs on and hats and things, she says. Up until then people think you are fine and then everyone knows once your hair goes.

It is often the time after you have had your surgery and you are feeling low.

Youve had your first chemotherapy and are about to have your second, and then your hair falls out and you feel terrible.

Lesley cheered herself up by buying a wig in a poker-straight red bob, a huge contrast to her dark blonde, slightly wavy hair.

But it was her experiences trying to buy underwear that eventually led her to set up Bouncing Back, which specialises in underwear for women who have undergone breast cancer surgery.

I went to the department stores when I was looking to buy bras after my surgery, she says. Some of the ladies were lovely but they talked to me in whispers.

Some of the younger girls were embarrassed to serve me and didnt want to check the fit of the bra or come into the changing room with me. They just didnt know how to deal with it. Plus, its very disheartening in those stores when you walk past rows and rows of bras that you know you cant wear.

A friend recommended she visited an underwear shop, Petals, in Hexham, where she found people who spoke to her normally and fitted her properly. When I came out of that shop, I felt two inches taller, she says.

If you have a good bra that fits properly, you carry yourself better and that is very important for your self image, especially if you have been through a mastectomy.

You feel quite vulnerable and it is just a relief to go somewhere where people understand what you need.

The problem with everyday underwear, she says, is that it is not designed for prosthetic breasts and there is always the danger of falling out. You can never feel confident or relaxed if you keep having to look down and check your bra, she adds.

Lesley stocks specialist swimwear, prosthetics, vest tops and all kinds of underwear for post-operative women. Despite the fact that breast cancer affects one in nine women, there are only a handful of specialist shops in the UK offering mastectomy underwear.

She has a community of loyal customers C many of whom found out about the shop through breast cancer support groups.

Lesley says: Sometimes it works really well, if I have a new customer in and one of my more established customers and they can have a chat. Sometimes we just sit down and have a laugh.

Lesley recently signed up to do the charity MoonWalk in Edinburgh in June, which involves fund raisers power walking collectively through the streets at night in decorated bras to raise money for Walk the Walk, a cancer charity.

She is now also involved in promoting the SunWalk in Newcastle, which is taking place in September and is the first of its kind in the city. The SunWalk is taking place during the day so that families can take part.

I thought we might have a workshop in the shop for everyone to come and decorate their bras for the event, says Lesley.

Im also passing out leaflets about the event and trying to get people to sign up. Ive been training for the MoonWalk in June, parking my car much further away from work and helping my son on his paper round. Its a really good thing to keep you fit and healthy.

Lesleys other passion, which she took up after her first round of chemotherapy several years ago, is her allotment.

When I started the chemo I just wanted a bit of an escape. I spend a lot of time there with the hens and it really helped me through it. I would recommend it to anyone going through the same thing.

* Bouncing Back is at Contex House, Hopper Street, Gateshead and can be contacted on 0191-477-9449. The website is www.bouncingbackbras.co.uk.

Join the charity power walk

THE SunWalk Newcastle in September, organised by cancer charity Walk the Walk, will see thousands of men, women and children power walking five kilometres, ten kilometres or even a half marathon from Exhibition Park on Sunday, September 7.

Nina Barough, Walk the Walks chief executive and founder says: Power walking is one of the few activities that really does work on almost every part of your body from your posture to your muscle tone. It works wonders on defining the shape your legs, lifting your bum and flattening your stomach by strengthening your core muscles, and you can expect to start seeing an improvement to your body profile after just two weeks of walking a minimum of three times a week.

POWER WALKING TIPS ö Shorten rather than lengthen your stride to increase your speed.

ö The front foot should always have a good heel strike and then roll on to the ball of the foot.

ö Keep your stride narrow so youre almost walking in a straight line, putting one foot directly in front of the other.

ö Hold your arms at a right angle and move them backwards and forwards from the shoulders, so that your upper body gets a workout too; keep your hands lightly cupped, not clenched, and at waist height. As you step on to your right foot, the left arm moves forward C so that the arms are always swinging in opposition to your feet. Make sure that your arms dont swing across your body and keep your elbows tucked in.

ö Focus your eyes straight ahead about five to six metres away.

ö Good posture is essential so try not to lean forward and try keeping your shoulders down and relaxed.

ö And dont forget to breathe C count the number of steps to each in and out breath.

Walk the Walk is currently offering places on SunWalk Newcastle to people from all generations across the UK and everyone taking part will receive a power walking training guide to help them prepare for the big day.

* To take part in The SunWalk Newcastle, visit www.walkthewalk.org.

10:04am Tuesday 8th April 2008

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