Rhona with her award for top documentary of the year

Rhona Damant's Story of Living with Cancer, Raising Awareness and 'Breast Cancer UK'.

40,000 women this year will be diagnosed with cancer.

I am 45 years old and have had terminal cancer now for three years and primary cancer officially for seven years but unofficially for nine...meaning that those where the years that my female doctor told me that my breast lump was nothing to worry about, even though my mum died from breast cancer when she was 45.

My cancer could be that of a genetic gene, or maybe a result all the smoke I inhaled when I was a long haul stewardess in the days of full smoking flights (I have never smoked in my life), or even due to my very unhealthy eating lifestyle for too many years..who will ever know?...not me I'm afraid to say.

I have lived in Suffolk now for nineteen years, which to my horror, I found out recently that this was one of the "Hot spots" for cancer. With two children who maybe at risk of both prostate and breast cancer, this became very scary reading and at once knew that I needed to improve their future. By sheer good fortune, I am very good friends with Ronan Keatings PR agent who herself is very much into the organic way of life, and she in turn is best friends with a lady who has helped set up "BREAST CANCER UK" and preaches about the harm we are doing to ourselves.

Now, when I mention the lovely man himself - I am not boasting - he in the past has honoured me the biggest favour I could ever have and that was to write a foreword for my book "Sit down and stop laughing" which is made up from dairies which I have written for my local newspaper the "East Anglian Daily Times" since my terminal diagnosis of secondary breast cancer in my brain, eyes, all my bones, liver, and lungs (pretty good going for an Irish girl..don't you think?) After many months of trying to get through to Mr K, it all sort of happened over night, when he wrote from the heart, the opening of my book. We have all since met and he is one of my goals each year to meet. Throughout my writing I also made a documentary which went on to win the "Gold award" for television documentaries in April this year. People ask..why do I do it? It is simply really, if I can, then other cancer sufferers out there can do it too.

Rhona's children Kristopher (16) and Francesca (15) on the holiday Rhona won as the prize for her documentary

40,000 women this year will have the cancer diagnosis given to them, which will break hearts and allow many children to grow up without their mums when they need them so much. So much money is raised each year to find "The Cure" but what about the prevention? Surely there must be one? Isn't that the better way round this disease...for it not to happen in the first place? This is why I am now backing the only cancer charity, I know of who is trying to find out what is happening out there in our daily environment, so to help them raise further funds to allow more research into this killer disease, we have arranged a summer ball on Saturday 15 July 2006 at Ickworth West Wing in Bury St Edmund's, Suffolk. (This has recently been voted as in the top seven places in the world to get married!).

We start with a pimms reception on the lawn at 6.30 and carriages are at midnight after a six course meal, auction, raffle and life entertainment. One of prizes is to meet the grand Irish lad himself!! The food will be as organic as it can be as will be many of the raffle prizes, I'm not very sure how many people know that you can actually buy organic T-shirts..I didn't until I arranged the ball.

Should anyone be interested in what we are doing it would be lovely to hear from you (my email is rhonadamant@btinternet.com).

It is a funny old life living with cancer, but from many years experience, believe me the only way to get through it is to enjoy every single minute, keep being yourself, cry if the hours get hard and smash that plate when you want to!

On a finishing note I want to say a huge THANK YOU to "The Natural Store" for helping to support us and understanding the need to find the word "prevention".

Rhona Damant.