"I was approached in February 2015 by Jane Redman, the Midlands Regional Press Officer from Cancer Research UK, with regard to sharing my womb cancer story in the local press, ahead of this year's Race for Life event in Leicester.
After an initial interview by telephone, detailing my personal experience with cancer, Jane was invited to come along to a dance fitness class I attend with a photographer from The Leicester Mercury and a reporter from BBC Radio Leicester.
This is the 3rd year I have taken part in the Race for Life, the first time being just 3 months after a total hysterectomy for early stage Endometrial cancer. I've always entered with a team of women from Latin Fitness Camp, who have been an important part of my life, even before diagnosis.
I joined the group in October 2010, not long after I'd stopped my gym membership due to by husband's sudden redundancy. Described as a fun dance style class strictly for women, it promised to use latin dance steps to get you looking and feeling like a dancer, even if you had 2 left feet. This sounded perfect for me!!
After just a few classes it became clear that this was more than just a fitness class. Through dance I found that you lived totally in the moment. It was a time I felt most alive, any worries disappeared and I never left a class feeling worse than when I started. You were so busy concentrating that you had no time to compare yourself to other women. Any negative thoughts meant you were likely to trip up and fall flat on your face!!What's more, we women formed close friendships and bonds which I relied on when I was suddenly diagnosed with womb cancer in February 2013. Apart from my immediate family,they were the first people I broke the news to, and I was met with the greatest support and compassion.
Surgery meant I couldn't attend classes for over 4 months,which was highly frustrating, but I kept in contact due to the power of social media. It always seemed to be at times when I was at my lowest that a text or Facebook message would come my way, which lightened my mood and spurred me on to recovery.
Some of the ladies visited me at home,and our instructor's mum, who was a breast care nurse, went out with me on regular walks once I was strong enough to leave the house.The Latin Fitness Camp ladies have also supported Womb Cancer Support UK. Many dressed in peach during our Awareness month in September and others posted peachy pictures on Facebook too. One lady made loom bands in peach and these were sold to raise money for the research project based at Hammersmith Hospital. Others thanked me for highlighting the risk factors and symptoms of womb cancer which they had been unaware of. So this year when we enter Race for Life, it's not just to raise money for CRUK in the hope of beating cancer in the future. I'm celebrating the fact that I've overcome cancer with the support of an awesome group of women whom I cannot thank enough. I will complete 10k this year, providing the marshalls send us the correct way!!!"
You can hear Margaret's interview on BBC Radio Leicester here - if you fast forward to 55 mins in. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r40nn
xx Kaz xx