Mum 'fighting to be heard' after losing friends to 'forgotten' condition

A mum is “fighting to be heard” after losing two of her close friends in a matter of months.

Kathryn Gordon Orr, from Maghull, gathered 20 women in solidarity in September 2021 to create an awareness campaign. Strangers from across the UK were united by their diagnosis of incurable secondary breast cancer.

The bond between the women involved developed into real-life friendships and Kathryn, a mum-of-one, alongside Gill Cory, from Southport, and Lancashire teacher Kate Rackham launched the Fighting to be Heard Foundation.

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The charity, made up of volunteers, prides itself on continuing the women’s quest to raise awareness but also to help in some way to ease the financial pressure felt by those living with the terminal condition - including Gill and Kate.

Kathryn, a 48-year-old marketing consultant, told the ECHO: “Kate was a chosen friend, she wasn’t a friend out of circumstance. The thing with Kate was she was amazingly balanced - she had a bit of feistiness about her and you always knew where you stood with her but at the same time, she was so much fun.

“She was so cool, beautiful looking and gorgeous in every way. She was there for me as much as I was there for her - it was a perfectly equal friendship.

“With Gill, I used to call her Joan Collins. She was the glamorous granny of the group, she brought glamour to every occasion. She was a wonderful person. I was very lucky to have her in my life.”

Grandma-of-two Gill was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2019. The compliance advisor and ex-magistrate, who died aged 61 on April 30, was the treasurer of the charity.

Teacher and mum Kate Rackham, who was well-known for documenting her journey online as Teacher With Cancer, died at age 45 just last week, Thursday, June 13. The mum-of-two was diagnosed with oestrogen-receptive breast cancer, despite having no “risk factors”, six years ago.

Kathryn said: “I didn’t see the cancer with them. They hid it so well. One thing that is so remarkable about them both, but also difficult, is that these women are so brave. They put on their makeup and their wigs and continued working and so when they died, people were shocked because they hid it so well.”

Within a year of meeting the 20 women, Kathryn said five of them lost their lives to the “forgotten form” of breast cancer. She claims after women get diagnosed, the services available to them are limited - despite women “still wanting to fight”.

Kathryn added: “Women just don’t lose their fight because they get diagnosed with incurable cancer. I know this. They want to be heard and not just written off. People lose their jobs, cancer is an expensive scenario, but there’s little financial support out there.”

With the rising costs as a result of the ongoing cost of living crisis, a recent study by Macmillan Cancer Support, reported nearly a quarter (24%) of people with cancer have had to cut costs either by buying less food or making fewer meals, including 26% of those currently having treatment.

The foundation is hoping to ease this struggle by raising funds for its service users by releasing a book, which features dedicated chapters from Gill and Kate, in the next few months.

The book, launching in line with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, currently needs a sponsor. Those interested can get in touch with the charity here.

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