We are coming to the end of breast cancer awareness month. What an amazing campaign it is! I have had e mails and texts to draw my attention to it and notice Thirsty Thursday (www.thirstythursday.co.uk) , a networking group for women in Cheshire, are offering portrait photographs in support of the campaign. I got as far as pulling off an application form to do a walking marathon through the night in Manchester next April. That must have been a moment of madness on a Friday morning but am more than happy to sponsor someone else to do that!

On a more serious note this is such a vital campaign. I pulled the statistics off the cancer research website and note the following:-

• Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK
• In 2006 around 125 women a day were diagnosed
• But more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before

But what is the quality of that survival? I guess it varies. Depending on how we cope with other major life events emotionally will determine how we manage this one. I have written before about loss and the need to grieve after such an event as breast cancer. And we are often reluctant to ask for help .. I want women to feel empowered to ask for help and they can then come through this challenging life event stronger and more in touch with what matters. Life coaching may be just what will help with moving on. I am speaking in Wrexham in North Wales in a couple of weeks when I will be talking about why I believe coaching is so important and am hoping to run a workshop in Altrincham in Cheshire early next year for women suffering from or recovering from breast cancer.