Cancer survivor Vicky Keep marks 10-year milestone with Swedish canoe challenge

Vicky Keep, a 51-year-old from Whitstable who works in catering, was diagnosed with stage three lobular breast cancer in 2016 and underwent a single mastectomy, six months of chemotherapy, and daily radiotherapy. According to Daily Express - Health, Vicky Keep described reaching 10 years as something she has to celebrate. To mark this milestone, she is planning to canoe along Sweden's Harken river in September, aiming to raise £10,000 for the charity Odyssey. According to Daily Express - Health, Vicky Keep described the challenge as not going to be a breeze but something that will feel like a big achievement when completed. The exact date in September for the expedition and the specific start and end points of the Harken river route have not been disclosed, and it is unclear how much money she has raised so far or what safety measures will be in place.

Vicky Keep is a mother of two daughters aged 17 and 21 and is marking her 25th wedding anniversary this year with her husband, Gary. Upon her diagnosis, her first question was how to tell her daughters. According to Daily Express - Health, Vicky Keep described the experience as teaching her not to take life for granted anymore. She initially assumed a lump in her breast could not be anything sinister, believing breast cancer lumps were typically pea-sized, and left it for a month, thinking it might just go, before visiting her GP. After being referred for a mammogram, she thought it might be something sinister when she saw nurses looking at each other with concern. The current status of her health post-2018, including any follow-up treatments or check-ups, has not been reported.