Calypso with a Cause - Meet the inspiring Kim Gillot
Written by Kim Gillot | Edited by Janine Magree
“A thriver” – that’s how I see myself since being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32.
With no family history of cancer, I ignored the lump in my breast. Food poisoning landed me in my GP’s rooms a fortnight later, and after blood tests, a mammogram and biopsy, the surgeon delivered news that changed my life.
I had a breast lumpectomy 10 days after being diagnosed and discovered I had aggressive stage 2 hormone positive breast cancer. A pregnancy-related hormone surge could have been detrimental, so I underwent tubal ligation surgery.
After four years of highs and lows, I still wake daily with so much gratitude because I am alive.
My body tolerated three out of the four rounds of chemotherapy, followed by 36 radiation sessions, which left me battling cellulitis infections and lymphoedema.
After radiation, I embarked on 10 years of hormone therapy. I tried reintegrating into the large corporate where I am employed, and was confronted with cognitive challenges posed by “chemo brain” and oestrogen-stripping, which had placed me in chemically-induced menopause, aged 33.
Hot flushes, insomnia, bone degeneration, constant aches and pains, weight gain, depression and anxiety, are some of the conditions I live with, but I am not defined by them. Having breast cancer has taught me the only box I’ll ever fit into, is a casket.
After enduring 18 months of treatments with myriad side effects, in addition to mental and emotional exhaustion, I had a hysterectomy in 2019 and will continue for 10 years on drugs that block the effects of oestrogen in the breast tissue. Being childless was a personal choice, but having the option removed is deeply painful.
A cancer diagnosis, leaves you feeling as if the world has stopped turning, yet life continues around you. Some will support, inspire and encourage, some pity you, whilst others don’t know how to behave and some betray you. I was in a toxic relationship prior to my diagnosis. My partner cheated on me. Worse still, he cheated during my active treatment and even after we became engaged.
Imagine that on top of the emotions associated with a dreaded disease when the very treatments you are undergoing to keep yourself alive are ravaging your body, undermining your femininity and self-confidence!
For my own peace of mind, I forgave my body and partner for failing me and walked away from that relationship in March 2020, making a choice to be authentically who I am.
With the support of family and friends I now live my purpose. I am a motivational speaker and director of two non-profit companies, The Equality Foundation and The Durban Youth Council. I am the director of my own NPO, MM Empowerment, focusing on skills development and community upliftment, as well as being the Volunteer Regional Co-ordinator of Look Good Feel Better, and brand ambassador for Ross Ink Aesthetics and Calypso with a Cause.
Ross Ink Aesthetics is the initiative of Regan and Clarissa Ross, which helps restore the self-belief of breast cancer survivors. The hope and confidence a “virtual areola” tattoo inspires in breast cancer patients is an unquestionable assurance.
Breast cancer survivor and Calypso Collections owner, Michelle Starling, was introduced to me by Oncologist, Dr Lucille Heslop. We soon became “breasties”. Calypso with a Cause has pledged a percentage of store and online sales of their gorgeous clothing to help survivors, and those facing breast cancer with a sponsored gift or the type of treatment they deserve.
As brand ambassador for these amazing initiatives, I am seeking sponsorships to assist in changing lives. Breast cancer has taken so much from me, but I choose to have a positive outlook, inspire others, rise above it all and thrive!
Contact Details
www.facebook.com/ThriverKim
kimgillot@icloud.com
