Kaz x Ann Summers

Kaz Foncette, a 37-year-old London born Turkish Cypriot, is a two-time breast cancer survivor. She's not only the founder of "Wigs for Heroes," a charity restoring confidence to cancer patients, but also a fashion and lifestyle influencer.

Kaz is passionate about raising breast cancer awareness among young women under 40, all while indulging in her love for travel and creating lasting memories.

Has going through breast cancer changed your relationship with you and your body?

It definitely has. One of the first things you think about and worry about when you are told you have cancer, is the physical changes that is stereotypically associated with it. Hair loss, mastectomy, scars. Even the concerns having children & breast feeding. The uncertainty and multitude of questions can be overwhelming. However as time passes and the healing and acceptance process begins, some of these questions find answers.

I suppose I had to accept the changes that were happening to me and try to turn negatives to positives, I had to tell myself that these sacrifices are made in order to keep living. I do struggle sometimes with my body, especially when I gain weight, my body hurts, my bones ache the physical discomforts, oh and one breast gets bigger than the other so it can be a formidable battle at times.

But when negative thoughts begins to creep in, I try to give myself a motivational push and tell myself ‘ hun, this body carried you through some tough days, so don’t be so hard on her’.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who is going through breast cancer treatment?

Take it one day at a time. It’s so easy to create scenarios in your head that haven’t happened.

The best way to tackle the anxiety around it is to focus on the now and be present with yourself. Don’t watch others and their progress and don’t compare, each persons experience and cancer is totally different from yours. Celebrate progress and small wins, create a good memory each and everyday. No matter how tiny.

I felt like if I had something small to focus on it would always override the bad moments.

How did you feel when you were diagnosed with breast cancer? Especially for the second time?

It was a massive shock being diagnosed for the first time. I had just turned 31, i was making life plans and I genuinely thought they had mixed my results with someone else’s, someone else much older than me. I hadn’t heard of people my age getting breast cancer before I did . When I was told the second time at 33, I genuinely thought that that was it. My time was up.

But I gave it my everything, promised to make some good memories with my loved ones, trust that the treatment would help me in-spite of living in fear everyday. And I was one of the fortunate ones, I managed to overcome the disease both times.

I do live with heart failure now as a result of all the treatment, but I suppose I’d take that over cancer any day if it means there is no immediately threat to my life.

How can you maintain a positive perspective when going through such a life-changing and mentally challenging diagnosis?

It’s important to recognise that maintaining a positive perspective doesn’t mean denying the challenges you face. It means finding ways to cope with them, adapt, and find moments of hope and joy in the midst of adversity. Do things like seek support, connect with others, set yourself goals, celebrate little milestones, dress up, and stay hopeful, science and technology advances everyday so it’s important to have hope. Always.

You have to acknowledge your feelings, whether they are good or bad, it’s normal to have mixed emotions but it’s important to feel the feels.

You must always try to be compassionate to yourself, it’s easy to blame your broken body on something you’ve done for the cancer to come about but it’s not your fault. And you are not alone with it.