Lisa Fry refuses to let a tough time stop her from dressing up.
The 40-year-old mum of four, from Cheltenham, has been called Britain’s most glamorous cancer patient – as she shows up for every chemotherapy session all dressed up and ready to go out.
Lisa, who was previously a sergeant in the Army Cadet Force, was diagnosed with cancer last year and has since been told it is incurable, but she’s determined to keep celebrating her love of fashion until her final days.
She says: ‘I have always been a fashion follower, I love style but I think this time around I’ve ramped it up a bit more.
‘I dress like that every single day even if it’s for doing a school run or popping to the shops. I don’t want my kids to see me being any differed to how I was before the cancer. I’m still their mum.
‘I dress like that because it makes me feel good – I also get so many compliments.
‘People ask me how do you dress like that when you have four kids and cancer -I get a lot of attention and it’s really nice, it boosts me.
“All the chemo nurses are used to me now.
‘I have had a lot of positive feedback- I think I’ve got two choices really, I either sit at home, be depressed and think about the worst or I can think the most of the time that I’ve got and be happy and get on with life.
‘I’d rather grab these opportunities that come in life.’
Lisa was first diagnosed with stage three cancer in 2011, when she found a lump while breastfeeding. Following two years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, she was given the all-clear.
She went on to have more children despite being told the cancer would leave her infertile: Charlie,15, Marley, 13, Woody, 11 and Jagger, 20 months.
But then in March 2018, just one week before giving birth to her youngest son, Jagger, she was told the cancer had returned, spread to her sternum bone, and was terminal.
Lisa said: ‘It was a massive shock because previously me and my husband tried for a baby but I was told chemotherapy had destroyed my eggs and it wasn’t going to happen.
‘It was heart-breaking, I was thinking “I can’t have cancer, I’m going to have a baby in a week”.
‘I had a hard labour but thankfully he was fine.
‘I was even able to breastfeed even though I was told it wouldn’t be possible because of the surgery.
‘The day I found out was horrendous, my world just broke into a million pieces – that day still haunts me today.
‘I was thinking ‘why me’ but suddenly something clicked inside me – I decided I’m going to crack on with my life.’
Despite the devastation of the condition, Lisa says she feels great – which she puts down to her plant-based diet, exercise, and a positive attitude.
She plans to stay upbeat and keep dressing up to show people the power of putting on a smile. Lisa now shares her journey on Instagram, sharing photos of her hospital outfits with more than 1,000 followers.
She added: ‘Considering what I’ve got I feel healthier than I’ve ever been.
‘I’ve got four kids. I don’t have time to be ill.
‘I’m not this weak fragile thing riddled by cancer, I am really confident, sassy and feel super sexy in my own skin, I’m physically strong and mentally and really positive about the future I believe I will be here a lot longer than given.
‘I’m also looking for a real challenge to get stuck into in 2020 and I’m really excited about what opportunities come my way.’
MORE: Four-time cancer survivor shares how being diagnosed while she was pregnant changed her life
MORE: How to make easy Christmas cocktails and mocktails at home for Christmas Day
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/19/-11933099/
0 Comments