About
I would like to give you a little background information about me and my life. What has happened to get me to this stage and why I created The McCourt Method Breathing Space.
I guess I am now middle aged (born in 1959) and, as I look into the future, I wonder how many more years I have left of my life to live and enjoy. I have been reflecting a lot on this lately, especially taking into consideration the cancer healing journey I have been on. Has it gone completely? and will it come back? are two questions which pop into my mind on days I am feeling a little low, less confident and stressed.
Looking back over the years I have come to realise that I had quite a busy, stressful, full-on life. I have raised two children and been self-employed for quite a large amount of my life, and with that, as anyone who is self-employed would know, comes a lot of stress, a lot of hard work, no paid holidays – if you do manage to go away, you must get cover for yourself. I also thought of myself as a relatively healthy person. My motto was to live hard, play hard, work hard. And perhaps indestructible!
One afternoon in May 2016, my mum found me collapsed in bed. I could not get out of bed, I could not function, I had absolutely no idea what was wrong with me. I had been dealing with an extremely painful frozen shoulder and was on morphine and tramadol, but nothing was touching the pain. I had mentioned this several times to the Doctor and the physio department at the hospital, but they all effectively said, “man up and deal with it”. Then here I was on the 17th May collapsed. My mum called the paramedics … they didn’t know what was wrong except that my temperature was high, they were taking no chances, and decided that I needed to go into hospital straight away.
I had emergency life-saving abdominal surgery. A burst, necrotic appendix, and peritonitis in all four quadrants. Sepsis. And later a subphrenic abscess. I was in hospital for a month, three days in intensive care. I was really struggling; I didn’t think I was going to make it and the doctors didn’t think I was going to make it either. I was so tired, so exhausted I couldn’t see a way forward, I couldn’t move, it was even hard walking to the bathroom. I felt like an old lady! It was a very tough time for me and my family. I came out of hospital, and I was sick for quite a while. I was running a bed and breakfast and luckily, I had really good staff, an amazing mother and two supportive sons. They ran the business for me and at the same time brought me my meals and helped me as much as they could. As I slowly recovered, I found the business hard to manage both emotionally and physically. I realised how much time, effort, and energy I had put into this business. I made the decision to put it on the market, sell it and create a new life. This I did in March 2017, and I moved out in the June of 2017. I decided to have two years out, have a rest, get a plan together for what my next mission was going to be.
In August 2017, I went on a family holiday with my mum, my sister and niece (we went glamping!). At the beginning of August, I had found a lump in my breast, and I asked my sister if she thought it was anything? She immediately told me to get it checked out on my return – I didn’t and I carried on with my life. I started planning my next trip and I went to Portugal on a river cruise. Then off to Spain. My next adventure was to be a three-month road trip through France and into Spain – touring. I was living the life that I thought I deserved after everything I had been through the past eighteen months.
About six weeks before my trip I started to get a little niggling doubt in my mind about the lump. What if it was something? Did I really want to be far away from home if something was wrong? I decided to get things checked out. I popped to the doctor, and she didn’t think it was anything, but she sent me up to the hospital to see the oncologist just to check. They didn’t think it was much either. I was thinking “that’s good then I’ll be okay”. They did the usual tests; biopsies and my first ever mammogram and ultrasound. I had three needle biopsies and a titanium tag inserted, and then suddenly it went from this is nothing, it is just a cyst to suddenly – we think it is a bit more serious, and more than likely cancer.
I had to wait ten days for the results and that was quite nerve-wracking. Ten days is a long time, and you can’t keep ringing up the oncology department saying have you got any news?! I went back ten days later. When it was my turn to see the oncologist and nurse, I knew instantly upon seeing their faces that they had bad news for me. I laughed, which I don’t think they found very funny. I remember thinking that this was a bizarre situation, I had breast cancer. I just sat there and thought – wow I can’t believe this, I have only been out of hospital 18 months, this really isn’t fair. But then when is anything fair?!
They told me I had aggressive grade 3 triple positive breast cancer (Her2 positive, oestrogen positive, progesterone positive) and what the oncologist called invasive ductal carcinoma Stage 1, tumour size 1.8cm. They discussed with me their recommended course of treatment – a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, Herceptin drugs and an endocrine blocker (Letrozole). They booked me in for surgery three weeks later with sentinel lymph node removal surgery to take place the day before. I said “what about my road trip? I am going tomorrow” and in reply both the oncologist and nurse said “no, you can’t go off tomorrow”. I said, “well okay I will go on Sunday”, again they said they didn’t want me to go because I needed time to process everything. I said “I don’t agree with that. I need a holiday, I am going”. They then suggested a compromise and said go for a couple of weeks then come back and get ready for the surgery. I agreed.
I had to tell my family and friends. Everyone was shocked, as everyone is, it was surreal, it was just the weirdest, most bizarre feeling. I told everyone the timing of the surgery for three weeks, but that I was still going on my road trip and that I would decide what to do whilst away. I left on the Sunday, drove through Paris, and stayed at Versailles for a couple of days. After a fun filled few days acting as though nothing had happened, the seriousness of my situation began to settle in and I decided that I must now take control. I drove through the night to Spain and decided that was where I was going to do my thinking. I decided that I could not face another spell in hospital after the month I had in there, and I think I was now quite fearful of hospitals even though they had saved my life before. I just couldn’t face more surgery.
I decided to make myself my project. I cut myself off from everyone (friends and family) and slowly began to change everything about my life. I researched, researched, and researched some more. Eventually I decided that I was not going to go the conventional route. I phoned up the oncology department from Spain and said, “I am not coming back, I would like to cancel my surgery and make an appointment for three months’ time to review things with my oncologist”. They weren’t particularly happy but as I wasn’t in the country and had cancelled, they agreed to do that.
I spent a couple of months in Spain reviewing and changing my whole life. I then came back to the UK. Whilst in Spain I discovered the work of Max Gerson MD and contacted their clinic in Hungary. I got accepted on their programme and headed off to Hungary on January 21st, 2018, for two weeks of learning. I had a CT/PET scan in Hungary, and this showed that the tumour was the same size, no spread to any other part of my body and no lymph node involvement.
When I met with my oncologist three months later, we discussed the CT/PET. I explained my thoughts on the scan results to him and told him what I had been doing. I figured that if the aggressive part of the cancer hadn’t spread, that the tumour was the same size and that there was no lymph node involvement, then what I was doing was not only holding the cancer but that something was changing. He agreed to disagree with me, and we arranged another appointment in three months’ time. I carried on with my very strict protocol.
I arranged to see him in May 2018 and had another ultrasound. This was six months after my diagnosis. The ultrasound showed no signs of cancer. My oncologist was rather perplexed and asked what I had been doing. I explained to him, and he said, “well I can’t explain it, but as we can’t find a tumour, I will sign you off for a year”.
In May 2019 I paid for a private ultrasound as a comparison to the one in 2018. The radiographer could not find any sign of an active tumour, there was no lymph node involvement and both breasts were clear. She was extremely thorough in comparing my previous year’s scan with this year’s. I had an appointment with the oncologist in August 2019 and we agreed that I should be discharged from his care, but should I ever need help he would re-instate me. I developed a good relationship with him and at no time did he make me feel unwelcome or try to persuade me to take his advised treatment plan.
In June 2021 I had a breast thermogram to compare with the original one I had done in 2017. This showed no sign of an active tumour. The results of my yearly thermogram in April 2022 were slightly improved on the one from June 2021. The 2023 thermogram was deemed a completely successful intervention. I am due another thermogram at the end of April 2024 and fingers crossed this shows the same result as the 2023 thermogram. My long-term healing process is positive. My bloods, too, remain in the normal ranges. At the time of writing this, I am 6 and a half years cancer free. (April 2024)
My mission is to help people think before they act. You do not have to be pressured to jump into action as soon as you get a positive diagnosis. Give yourself a breathing space, time to think, get your physical and emotional body into a healthy healing position. Cancer doesn’t happen overnight. I took time to decide what I wanted, what was good for me.
I created The McCourt Method Breathing Space, which is an 8 module programme over 4 weeks, as a tool to help others that may find themselves in the same situation as me. I cover all the things that I found helpful and useful, where to find information, what books to read, what other treatments are available to help eliminate the fear and anxiety that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES, but there is a pattern that you can follow.
Take a look at these testimonials from some of my clients
Thank you Jane, you can’t imagine how I followed you and how your story filled me with strength
Having read through this programme I have been able to get a better understanding of the science behind cancer and how it operates without trawling through endless websites that simply scare you.
The programme made me reflect on my approach to physical and mental health even though I do not consider myself a ‘holistic’ kind of person. I am not ready to give myself over to the complete holistic approach to dealing with my cancer but I appreciate Jane’s sharing of her experience and NOT telling you that this is the only way or even the right way for you!
I think your Breathing Space Modules are Brilliant! They make this cancer journey seem much, much more manageable. You have done so much research and, for me, it is such a relief to benefit from that and see the wood from the trees, see a path to follow.
I have just finished reading Module 8. You have done an enormous amount of research and your programme is crammed with information. Thank you so much for letting me benefit from it. Your programme has saved me a huge amount of time and energy in research and directed me to helpful and relevant information.
Module 2 – Food
This was the most interesting section. Excellent explanations of Methionine including videos. The breakdown of the food we eat or should eat is very clear and supporting explanations of good and bad foods are useful. Food charts/lists and the links are very good to have.
