Scarborough breast cancer survivor to take part in ladies half monty

The event's back in December this year after a break due to the pandemic

Author: Karen LiuPublished 10th Jul 2022

A woman from Scarborough is taking part in a ladies half monty this year after being diagnosed with breast cancer twice.

The event is back after a break due to the Covid pandemic and it will see a group of 30 females put on their dancing shoes in December.

It will raise money for breast and cancer children charities and to encourage women and men to check themselves regularly.

Jo Laking, who is now cancer free, said: "We're back bigger than ever. It's a full night of entertainment. We have 15 acts to entertain everybody before the grand finale where it'll be us ladies who'll be strutting our stuff and doing the big reveal at the end. We then have a disco until the small, wee hours of the morning.

"The charities are desperate for funding and we're desperate to try and find a cure. Not only that, it's very much about raising awareness of breast cancer to both ladies and gentleman out there, because if we can get somebody to check their breasts and they find a lump early, they've got a bigger chance of being cured than the inevitable.

"It doesn't have to be a lump. You can spot a difference in the shape of your breast. You might see a dimple, anything that's every so slightly different. If you spot something, go to your GP and your GP will refer you to the breast clinic at York Hospital. You'll get seen really quickly. It's so important.

"I've had breast cancer. I've had it twice. Originally diagnosed in 2015, got my five years all clear and then last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. I've had all the treatments and I'm here. I'm going to get up on stage to say to everybody 'there's life after cancer, live your life and enjoy.'

"There's other breast cancer survivors as part of the group. We put our heart and soul into it and we're rehearsing already believe it or not. We've got a spectacular dance for everybody this year and we're so excited. We just want to make sure we've got lots of people in the audience who are going to clap, cheer and donate plenty of money."

Organisers are looking for businesses to sponsor the event. Anyone who is interested can contact the Facebook page.

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