Make 2nds Count

Diagnosed with secondary breast cancer just last year, Edinburgh mum, Lisa Fleming (34) realised how little she knew about this form of the disease, and how little public attention, support and research funding it attracts. Only 5-7% of funding into breast cancer research focuses solely on secondary breast cancer, which is currently incurable.

For Lisa, that meant, when it was discovered, her breast cancer had spread to numerous parts of her body, including her spine, skull and eventually brain. She has since undergone two spinal surgeries, brain surgery and breast surgery and faces further operations. In the meantime, she has had to learn how to walk again.

Despite her gruelling treatment, Lisa and her husband, Euan have set up a charity – Make 2nds Count – to raise awareness and muchneeded funds for research into secondary breast cancer.

“I actually felt embarrassed when I was diagnosed because I had never heard of it,” said Lisa. “And then I realised how little money was spent on researching it, and so little support for women who have it. It is almost like the relative that nobody talks about. This is killing women but few people know about it. I just thought this can’t be right.”

In the first place, all the money raised by the charity will go directly to research into secondary breast cancer currently being conducted at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh by leading Academic Medical Oncologist Dr Olga Oikonomidou, who is also a patron of the new charity.

Lisa Fleming with son, Cameron and husband, Euan

Dr Oikonomidou said: “Secondary breast cancer might be incurable but is treatable. As new treatments are being approved, patients with secondary breast cancer are starting to have more choices.

“We have a long way to go but there is a lot more hope for many years of good quality life for a patient diagnosed with a secondary breast cancer now than there was two decades ago.”

Lisa has already lost friends in a support group for people with secondary breast cancer, which only increases her determination to get the message out about this “forgotten” form of the disease.

“This situation is just wrong and it breaks my heart, it really does,” she said. “I look at my five-year-old son and I think I have got to fight.’’

Find Out More

To find out more and to support Make 2nds Count please go to www.make2ndscount.co.uk or email hello@make2ndscount.co.uk