Breast cancer ladies to walk from Horsham to coast at Shoreham

One of the walkers planning to walk the 20 miles is Horsham resident Dr Susan Michaelis. Susan was first diagnosed with ILC in 2013. In 2021, a full body MRI scan confirmed it had spread to the bones in her spine and last week a biopsy confirmed it was now also in the skin on her neck.

Susan commented: “I had a tiny red mark on my left breast, no lump. A mammogram and ultrasound said all was OK but a biopsy and MRI confirmed I had lobular breast cancer. Post-surgery analysis, confirmed I had 7cm of lobular. This is typical of lobular breast cancer, what is often called the ‘forgotten or hidden cancer’”.

The characteristics of lobular breast cancer were first described in 1976 yet almost 50 years later, a specific treatment for the disease has never been developed. The focus has been predominately, on the more common type of breast cancer known as ductal breast cancer.

Horsham based Fact Not Fiction Films released the first ever documentary about ILC in May 2023 entitled ‘My Journey With Lobular’. The 60-minute documentary follows the story of Dr Michaelis, her journey to meet other ladies diagnosed with the disease, interviewing many world experts and her quest to resolve the problem.

Susan added: “The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London have the ability to carry out a research project to fully understand the biology of the disease. This could lead one day to a specific treatment for the disease. All they need is the money to do it. Sadly, the big cancer charities and the Government, to date, have not prioritised lobular breast cancer research and I, and many others, are now paying the price for this by having an incurable disease. I am asking people to walk with me, or sponsor me or one of the ladies doing the walk. Every penny donated goes directly to research into lobular at ICR. It is so important to remember you never know who will be next to be diagnosed with lobular. It could be somebody you know or love and they would deserve to receive a specific treatment for the disease. That’s what we are trying to achieve.”

Fact Not Fiction Films are now making a sequel to the documentary and will be filming some of the walk on 26 August. The walk will start at Horsham Golf Course at 0830, join the Down’s Link at Copsale, lunch at ‘The Cabin’ at Berretts Farm in Henfield and on to Bramber, past Shoreham Airport, reaching the coast near The Church of the Good Shepherd.

Dr Michaelis became the first Australian to receive a British Citizen Award earlier this year in the House of Lords. A rose was also released in her name, by Harkness Roses at the Chelsea Flower Show this year. Income from each rose sold goes to the ‘Lobular Moon Shot Project’. A project she set up to raise money for lobular breast cancer research at The Institute of Cancer Research.