'I had my whole life ahead of me and that’s just been torn away' - Yorkshire woman diagnosed with incurable cancer aged 34 organises charity ball

“I was in shock. The worst news came and I don’t think there’s really any way of dealing with that. I just felt devastated. And a lot of loss.

"I’d finished studying and I’d got married and I thought I had my whole life ahead of me and that’s just been torn away,” she says, struggling to hold back tears. “I think keeping busy helps me. I’m trying to make the best of my time.”

Her latest focus is on planning a charity ball with her good friend Louise Walker. Their Alice in Wonderland themed event is set to take place on Friday, June 30 at the Golden Lion in Northallerton.

It will raise money for the UK Charity for Triple Negative Breast Cancer, in order to support more targeted treatment options.

And the event will also support the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre in Northallerton to say thank you to staff there for making a “huge difference” to the lives of many cancer patients in the area.

“I think a lot of people think cancer is something that happens to somebody else,” Rachael says, “but it could happen to anybody. I felt like hosting something like this would help to raise awareness.”

Rachael noticed a change in one of her breasts early in 2022. Though she couldn’t detect any lumps, the change was playing on her mind and in August, she sought the opinion of her doctor, who referred her to a breast clinic for a mammogram.

Last September, Rachael was then diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, which affects around 15 per cent of breast cancer patients.

She was also identified as carrying the BRCA1 gene, a genetic trait that can increase the risk of breast cancer within families.

Sadly, the cancer had spread to Rachael’s bones and liver and it was deemed to be incurable.

She started treatment in October last year, and has been undergoing intensive chemotherapy at the Sir Robert Ogden Centre at Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital.

The aim is to stop the cancer from progressing further, keeping Rachael stable for as long as possible. But it’s a gruelling regime, involving treatment every third week, and side effects such as extreme tiredness and nausea.

Still, Rachael is determined to continue her work as a marketing manager for Ripon Museum Trust. “I love my job and I don’t want to give it up. I feel like I’ve lost a lot already,” she says.

Having completed a masters degree in responsible tourism management at Leeds Beckett University only a few years ago, Rachael is enjoying her planned career.

“It feels like if I give up straight away, the studying will be a bit of a waste,” she says. “And I do think keeping busy helps me.”

After months of counselling, she also feels more able to look to the future. “A few months ago, I was struggling to see how I would get through the next day. Now I can see a few weeks ahead of me and look forward to things,” she says.

The fundraising ball is, of course, one of those dates. Tickets for the evening are priced at £50 per head and include a three-course meal, table magician and entertainer, photo booths and giant games, music and dancing.

Rachael has been overwhelmed with the generosity of local businesses, which have donated items, including premium tickets on The Polar Express at Wensleydale and two nights at Northallerton’s Roseacre Retreat, for an auction at the ball.

“No one should have to go through a cancer diagnosis such as this, especially at such a young age,” she says.

“I’ve tried to be quite open about my story because when I was diagnosed, I felt a lot of guilt that I hadn’t realised something was seriously wrong earlier.

"But when I was talking to people, they were saying ‘I wouldn’t have noticed or gone to the doctors with such a minor symptom’.

So I felt I had to speak up to try to save somebody else’s life. That’s been quite difficult for me because I’m quite quiet and reserved, quite a closed book…

"I just want to raise awareness really and get other people to check before it’s too late.”