October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it’s likely that this disease has affected you or someone that you know. Here we highlight Andrea McNally’s story...
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it’s likely that this disease has affected you or someone that you know. Here we highlight Andrea McNally’s story...
Below is an extract from the Nov/Dec issue of Women & Golf magazine.
''Andrea McNally has been a member of Woodbridge Golf Club in Suffolk for over 30 years and was first diagnosed with breast cancer aged 38. Now 60, Andrea has rarely been free of the disease and her longest remission period has been ten years and that was following a mastectomy after her initial diagnosis. Name a drug or treatment and Andrea has had it - Herceptin, Tamoxifen, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and preventative surgery.
Last year Andrea became Lady Captain and thankfully she felt well during the best part of 2014 so she was able to fulfil and enjoy her role at the golf club. However, her good health was thwarted again and in November further tumours were discovered. Chemotherapy may no longer be an option for Andrea as her body has become immune to chemo, so she is currently trialling a new treatment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridgeshire that involves taking two small tablets a day. So far, so good. Since May scans have shown that the tumours have shrunk by 50%.
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Fellow golf club member Julia Payn set up a cycling group and along with other lady members including Woodbridge’s current Lady Captain Rita Bird, Vice- Captain Debbie Golding and Pippa Neall they encouraged Andrea to join them.
“I was never going to be a cyclist but they convinced me to buy a road bike and before I knew it I’d signed up for the 2014 Women v Cancer Ride the Night so I began training” said Andrea.
Some of the same friends plus Linda Grave, Lucy Hynes and Ollie Hatcher then decided to train for the London to Paris bike ride in aid of the Breast Cancer Now charity.''
If you would like to read more about Andrea's story and the money the ladies raised for Breast Cancer Now, and to read other similar columns and features, the next issue of Women & Golf Magazine is on sale on Monday 12th October.
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