Column: Mandie’s Perfectly Frank finale

It is a decision that I have thought long and hard over, however with a significant change in my cancer it now feels the right time to be writing my final one.

I have unfortunately had to stop my current treatment of Fulvestrant injections which allowed my cancer to remain stable for two and a half years and as you all know I have had the best time living life with all my loved ones.

A bit of an initial blow and devastation but with no time to waste my new cancer journey and treatment has already commenced.

I am a couple of days into taking chemotherapy tablets with all seemingly going okay so far.

One thing for sure is I am extremely relieved and thankful to the NHS that I have this line of treatment available.

Cancer has never been too far from the back of my mind now for five years and I live with it being the first thing I think about each morning.

This in turn makes me more determined than ever to fight and hopefully my body will recover for a while again.

The aim of the tablets is to give me a decent quality of life while equally keeping my body stable for a period that my cancer will probably decide.

I would like to thank The Falkirk Herald for the fantastic opportunity to write my Perfectly Frank column, particularly Jill Buchanan.

What a great platform to share my experiences and the awareness of secondary breast cancer.

I treasure each and every column and I hope I have given some enjoyment and encouragement to anybody reading them.

My pug, Frank, certainly enjoys the attention of people recognising 
“that’s the pug from the Herald”.

Some words of wisdom from myself: always have hope, if you have hope you will always find a way to carry on even at life’s most challenging of times.

Always keep your loved ones close to laugh and enjoy the good times with and to help you through the difficult times.

The mind is a powerful tool so always try to have a positive outlook and remember that tomorrow is always a new day.

Life never turns out the way you think it will.

I have met two loves of my life (my husband and pug Frank) managed to travel a lot of the world, ran a marathon and ticked off two bucket lists, all whilst living with secondary cancer

I will definitely be adding to this. I look back at what I have achieved and feel proud.

Always be kind, a small act of kindness goes a long way and is much appreciated.

Anyway enough about cancer, it’s time to show it who is boss.

Take care all and stay safe, enjoy the good simple things in life.

I am sure I will bump into some of you in Falkirk at some point.