How a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis drove a PR consultant to help others through poetry

Emily Thomas, a high-flying 37-year-old digital marketing and PR consultant from Cardiff, was at the pinnacle of her career.

Enjoying her maternity leave as a first-time mother, South London-based Emily was captivated by the joys of motherhood, living with her husband Lee and their four-month-old son Griff.

Her life changed forever in September 2020 when she found a lump in her left breast. After several trips to the GP, she was diagnosed with stage 4 secondary metastatic breast cancer, meaning it had already spread throughout her body. What could have been a time for her to retreat from life in sadness and shock actually transformed Emily’s life. With determination and resolve, she threw herself into writing poetry, creating a powerful Instagram page, ‘Not Much Rhymes with Cancer,’ into which she poured her heart and soul, documenting her journey from diagnosis through treatment with searing honesty and humour.

Today, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a new book launches, featuring Emily’s poems – which has been posthumously curated by her friends and family. The searingly honest, uplifting and sometimes humorous poems in ‘Not Much Rhymes with Cancer’ in nine poignant chapters paint a portrait of the experience of getting a stage 4 diagnosis, the challenges that poses and how writing poetry provides a way of processing it all.

Writing has been proven to help those with serious illness help come to terms with their experiences and Emily wanted to help others going through a similar experience so created the Instagram page as a community for those experiencing breast cancer, to know that they weren’t alone and others were going through the same life-altering trauma.

Anything Emily put her hand to, she succeeded in. She always came top of the class, was a performance-grade pianist, a beloved best friend, a caring, thoughtful sister, daughter, aunt, and godmother to her friends’ children. Super intelligent but humble, she had a lightning-speed wit and a hilarious sense of humour. Her laugh was loud, and just thinking of it makes anyone who met her smile. Highly driven, with an insane work ethic, she was an award-winning PR professional and digital marketing expert with a successful career in London. She was the winner of many industry accolades, such as PR Week’s 30 Under 30 in Healthcare PR, and a dynamic communicator with a passion for healthcare.

How did Emily approach her diagnosis?

Following her sudden diagnosis of stage four metastatic breast cancer, Emily began a truly awe-inspiring 18-month journey of transformation.

There are around 56,000 new cases of breast cancer in women every year: that’s over 150 cases every day – but Emily felt that secondary breast cancer – where the cancer has already spread – was much misunderstood. Her diagnosis meant she had to have scans every three months for the rest of her life, as well as undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy to keep the cancer from spreading.Like everything in her life, Emily approached her diagnosis as a challenge to be conquered. In anticipation of losing her hair through chemotherapy, she immediately researched all the best wig makers in London and the best microblading practitioners to microblade her eyebrows. 

These constant challenges cultivated Emily’s determined attitude, empowering her to quickly ditch her wig, and then the headscarves, embracing her true authentic self.She completely overhauled her diet, cutting out sugar, caffeine, alcohol, meat, and carbs, and had calls with doctors and specialists in the US. With intense determination, Emily decided to remain resolutely positive and disliked the term ‘terminal illness,’ preferring ‘life-limiting’ instead. In addition to the medical support provided by the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, Emily was a strong believer in complementary therapies and quickly integrated a whole range of these into her routine as she found these helped quell the racing anxiety and worries experienced by those living with cancer. From oxygen therapy to infrared saunas, mistletoe therapy and reiki – she embraced it all.

How did poetry provide comfort and community?

Emily wanted to use her experience to help others, and she sought out leading life coach Tracy Lee Edward, a breast cancer survivor, who went on to become a close friend. Nurturing and spiritual, Tracy provides breast cancer holistic living and healing support as well as Reiki Energy and Soul Coaching.With Tracy, Emily co-founded a poetry workshop group @thenakedpoets – a community designed for women living with breast cancer, giving them a kind, nurturing space to share their words, feelings, and experiences in a healing environment.Emily’s poetry Instagram page ‘Not Much Rhymes with Cancer’ was where she shared the poems she wrote over the 18 months she lived with the disease, articulating her journey and the many challenges she experienced. These poems have now been posthumously collated by her close friends and family into a book to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to raise funds for the vital charity Make 2nds Count. Secondary breast cancer is a much misunderstood and underfunded disease, and Emily had a strong desire to raise awareness. She undertook numerous fundraising missions – even walking up Helvellyn mountain in the Lake District a month before she passed away in April 2021.

About ‘Not Much Rhymes with Cancer – A Book of Healing Poems’ 

The author’s sense of humour and positivity really shines through the poems.Through searingly honest writing, the collection charts her journey from a shocking diagnosis during the first four months of being a new mother to the realities of grappling with a life-limiting condition.Articulating the realities of harsh medical treatments and the rollercoaster of powerful emotions from guilt, fear, and anxiety to happiness and gratitude, the words fill the pages with a thought-provoking and emotive portrait of identity whilst living with secondary breast cancer. They have been chosen to give hope, love, and guidance to others going through a similar experience.

For information on secondary breast cancer please visit https://make2ndscount.co.uk/ 

The book is available to buy at Waterstones