PHOTOGRAPHS
Dave Benett/Getty ImaGes, WenDy CarrIGexamwhileI was
stillgoingthrough
treatment.When
theysaidI had
passedI feltso
proud.youknow
whenthesoilis
darkandasspring
comesyouhave
oneflowerthat
pokesitsheadup,
andyouwonder
if thereareother
flowersunderneath
aswell?thatis how
I felt.I wassohappy.I feltI’dregained
somethingofmyself.aftersixmonths
ofchemotherapy,thenradiotherapy,
I wasputontamoxifenforfiveyears.
WhenI wasgiventheall-clearI was
sothrilledtobealiveI triednottothink
somuchabouthowI looked.I had
chosennottohavereconstructionand
althoughI struggledwithmyfemininity
I thought,“that’sfine,I’malive!”I
couldn’tbearthethoughtof doctors
operatingonmeagain.
It didbothermethough.afterthe
operationI wouldn'tlookdownatmyself.
I woreniceroll-neckedtopsandalways
sleptin a bra.If I worea v-neckI would
alwayshavemyhandtomyneckandit
washardwearingswimmingcostumes.
nickwasalwaysveryattentivetome
andtoldmeconstantlyhowattractive
I wasandgavemecompliments.Butone
dayhesaid,“Don’tdoit forme– I think
you’rebeautiful– butif it’smaking
youunhappy,whydon’tyouhavea
reconstruction?”I decided he could be
rightandspoketomy
doctoraboutsurgery.It
wasa bigoperationbut
onceI startedtorecover
it wasthebestthing
I haveeverdone.It made
mefeelamazing.
Choosingswimwear
aftera mastectomyand
reconstructioncanbe
difficultbecauseofpainfulscarring,and
youdon’twantit tobetoolowcut.
WhenI sawmelissaOdabashhad
madea rangeforwomenwhohavehad
breastcancer,I wrotetocongratulate
her.she’sthequeenofswimwear
design for celebrities and Hollywooda-listers,sowhenshe
askedmetomodel
it I wassoflattered.
It feltfabulous.she
understandswhat
womenwhohavehad
breastcancerneed
becausehersister is
a survivor.
thecollectionis in conjunctionwith
amoena,whospecialisein underwear
andswimwearforthosewhohave
hadtheillness.thirtypercentofthe
proceedsgotobreastcancercharity
FutureDreams.I havebecomean
ambassador for them. I know howit feelsnottobeconfidentin yourbody,
butsummeris aboutspendingtime
withourfamiliesandfriends,andgetting
outsideandenjoyingtheweather.It is
notaboutwastingtimeworryingabout
nothavinga model-girlphysique.It is
importantaswomentobehappywith
whoweare,notjustdependentonwhat
welooklike.thereis somuchpressure
today,especiallyfromsocialmedia,but
pleaselivein themoment.youarehere,
youarehealthy.Cherishwhat you have- andstyleit out! w&h
Shoptheswimwearatamoena.com/
uk-en.Tofindoutmoreaboutthe
charity, go to futuredreams.org.uk
‘I couldn’tbringmyselftotellthe children’Left:Verawith
herdaughterRita
Ora;Veramodels
post-mastectomy
swimwearby
MelissaOdabash
forAmoenawith
Future Dreams72 woman&home It’s all aBOut yOu!