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My name is Codilia Gapare and in July 2014 I found a lump in right breast. I immediately made an appointment to have some tests done and was told to come back ten days later. The day of the results was the 11^th of August 2014. The reason I will always remember this day, is because I also had another very important meeting that day at 18.00hrs in Manchester. 11^th of August 2014 became a turning point in my life because of the choices I made. It was the day I chose to dance in the rain instead of waiting for the storm to pass.

Before I go any further, let me digress a little. Growing up I had always dreamt of being a lawyer. When I came to the U.K. I started studying to qualify to study Law at University. After 3 years I finally had the qualifications I needed to go to University! I promptly applied for a place at Manchester Metropolitan University. On the 11^th of August 2014 I had my final interview at MMU at 6.00pm. Life was going according to plan!

On that same day at 2.45pm (just over 3 hours before my interview) I walked into Leighton Hospital to find out the results of the test I had had ten days earlier. My world went into slow motion when the doctor told me that I had breast cancer. I had somehow managed to persuade myself over the past ten days that I could not possibly have cancer. I thought I was too young, too black, too skinny and too active to have cancer, but I was wrong. I was now part of a statistic that no one wanted to be part of.

It is hard to imagine how one would deal with such news. I suppose I would have been forgiven for crying or going home and bury my head under the covers or even go to the pub and drown my pain. I did none of these things. An hour after receiving the worst news of my life, I was driving from Crewe to Manchester for my interview at MMU. I don’t think at this point I knew why I had decided to make this choice.

The interview went really well until the interviewer asked me if I knew of anything that that might interfere with my study at the college. Had I anticipated the question I am sure I would have lied. I was caught off guard and I decided to come clean and tell the truth. I told the lady that I had been told only 3 hours before that I had breast cancer. It was only when she asked me why I still made the decision to come that I understood my actions. This is what I told her.

‘For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a lawyer. Today I received news that can potentially derail my dream, but I have worked too hard to get to this point. Cancer is just a chapter in my book and is never going to define me, but this moment will. So if it’s all the same with you, I would be grateful if you could give me a chance to follow my dream’.