Cancer campaigner dies after 14 years with illness
Dr Michaelis had completed a degree in marketing, though her dream was to become a pilot.She saved enough money to become a private pilot, then pilot teacher before making it as an airline pilot, flying to remote communities in the challenging terrain of the Northern Territory of Australia.But in 1997, Dr Michaelis collapsed mid-flight.
She lost her medical certificate and never flew as an airline pilot again, but contributed to the Australian Senate carrying out an investigation and went on to become an air accident investigator.Despite her injuries sustained as an airline pilot, Dr Michaelis completed Half Ironman triathlons and became the first Australian to receive a British Citizen Award for her work in aviation safety.After being diagnosed with lobular breast cancer, she set about campaigning for research into the illness, which she said was "just not being done".Lobular cancer makes up 15% of all breast cancer cases, but campaigners say it is under-studied and rarely recognised due to rarely forming a lump in the same way as other breast cancers.It differs from more common forms of breast cancer in that it begins in the milk-producing lobule glands, as opposed to 70-80% of breast cancers.Just last month, Dr Michaelis was one of 22 women to take part in a vigil outside Downing Street, representing the 22 women who are diagnosed with the disease every day.Last year, a rose named the Dr Susan Michaelis Rose was launched by Harkness Roses at the Chelsea Flower Show.The meeting with Mr Streeting on Monday will still go ahead, with Dr Michaelis's husband and the Lobular Moon Shot Project continuing her work.
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Throughout this time, school, university and various sports clubs served me a smorgasbord of would-be friends. Then, at 22, my partner and I moved from Dorset to Brighton. We knew no one and, while we were lucky to have each other, you can't form a social circle by joining just two dots. Without structures in place to introduce us to potential friends, we didn't know where to find them. 'Every one of us at some point in our life is going to feel lonely because loneliness is triggered by life transition points,' Wigfield says. 'That could be moving school, moving home, bereavement, retirement, becoming a carer or ceasing to become a carer. All these key moments in your life lead to a change in your social connections, and can lead to loneliness.' During this period of my life, social media seemed to suggest people my age were permanently surrounded by a huge network of friends. Having access to others' highlight reels in this way can be overwhelming and increase feelings of loneliness, explains Stephen Buckley, head of information at mental health charity Mind. But he encourages people to remember that 'things aren't always what they seem from the outside'. 'We often think that friends are just going to be there, but that's not always the case,' Wigfield adds. 'I think that's where a lot of young people struggle at the moment; they see others on social media and they expect to have friends.' The solution, as prescribed by Wigfield, is to take things back to basics: 'Reach out and connect with other people.' The runner's 'hi' I recently spent a day working from home alone. By lunchtime I felt flat; by 6pm transient loneliness had started to set in, making my head a less than pleasant place to be. At this point, I shut my laptop and started readying myself for the run club at my gym. Within seconds of walking through the gym door, my silent streak was broken. Several familiar faces gave a wave and a cheery 'hullo', while another friend gave me a hug and asked how I'd been. I felt immediately and significantly better, and this trend continued throughout the hour-long session. Despite being in the freezing cold with legs that turned to lead after a few kilometres, the camaraderie kept me going. Members cheered each other on, and there was a constant thrum of excited chatter in the brief intermissions between lung-busting efforts. By the end I was socially sated, and enjoying the bonus perk of having a wave of feel-good endorphins whizzing around my body. Buckley says this is symptomatic of a run club member. Exercise can boost mood and reduce feelings of stress and anger, alongside its well-documented physical benefits, he tells me. It also provides opportunities to meet new people, helps manage mental health problems and forces you into the great outdoors. 'The colours, sounds and smells can provide a welcome distraction, allowing us to switch off from everyday pressures,' he says. I've seen people roll their eyes at the rise of run clubs in recent years, and many will have scrolled past this feature with a groan. But I can't help but feel their disparagement is misplaced. If a group delivers the physical perks of exercise and the mental health benefits of a social setting, surely it's a positive thing? This is particularly true if younger generations are turning their back on nights out. In the eyes of experts like Wigfield, interaction is a human need, so social alternatives are a must. Is the pub on its way out? Now I realise that, as a fitness writer, I'm inclined to enjoy gyms and run clubs more than the average person – exercise is a hobby for me rather than an obligation. And while I'll always sing the praises of movement for mental, physical and emotional health, Wigfield makes it clear that battling loneliness isn't a purely physical pursuit. 'The way I like to think about [fighting] loneliness is by talking about creating meaningful relationships,' she tells me. 'Meaningful relationships with other people, meaningful relationships with places and spaces around you, and meaningful relationships with yourself. Those meaningful relationships are essential for human beings. Obviously we're all different and some people will need more of that human connection than others, but we all need some.' For this reason, she prescribes any activity that brings people together, be that running, music, singing, eating or otherwise. The key is having a central point of connection. This is also why I'm not keen to celebrate one form of social enrichment over any other. Yes, I love to exercise, but I believe it should be accessible and fun, not exclusive or connected to some moral high ground. Playing padel with friends or joining a running club doesn't make you a better person than someone who prefers the pub – both have their merits for mental health. Healthy social events and activities may be on the rise, and I approve of that, but we still need other social spaces like pubs and clubs. Despite the fact that I don't drink, I headed to the pub with friends at the weekend after my chat with Wigfield. I was there with people I knew, but I also found myself having chats with people at the bar, around the TV screen showing the football and even briefly at the urinals. A chef warned there would be a delay on food, holding up a badly bandaged hand in explanation, and the barman laughed at my partner for several minutes when she asked for a latte. By the time I left, my cheeks housed deep divots from laughing and I had a raft of new stories in my back pocket – any thoughts of loneliness were off the radar. Combatting loneliness Wigfield explains that chronic loneliness can change our perception of others, making it harder to socialise. 'If you've been lonely for a long time and someone smiles or says hello to you in the street, you're more likely to see that in a negative way. That changes your behaviour, so when you walk past people you might look away rather than looking at them. There tends to be a spiral with chronic loneliness and it's harder to get out of.' After spending plenty of time trying to figure things out following my move to Brighton, I was fortunate to meet some amazing people through work, sports clubs and the gym. But these relationships didn't just happen, as social media suggested they might – I had to push outside my comfort zone to find them, then work to maintain them. Run clubs provide a container of sorts for friendships to germinate, in the same way your local bar or pub might. They streamline the socialising process and set us up for success, providing a powerful potential tonic to chronic loneliness. Both run clubs and pubs provide a sense of belonging to a place, and connection to the people there, Wigfield says. By talking to others, you're also more likely to receive positive messages and build a better sense of connection to yourself. Running naturally offers the bonus benefits of exercise, both physically and hormonally, but for combatting loneliness she struggles to pick a winner. 'The mechanisms are different, but I don't see one as more beneficial than the other; it just depends on the individual and what you like to connect to,' concludes Wigfield. It's also important to recognise that, if you're feeling lonely, there are other options on the table. 'The most important thing is to find a type of activity you love and can stick with,' concludes Buckley. 'A run club might be best for you if you like running socially with others, but it's okay if you try it and it's not the right fit. Don't feel that you have to stick with something that's not working for you – you're much more likely to keep doing it if it's fun.' In my mission to discern whether the pub might soon be replaced by groups of social runners, I learned a few important things – Social interaction is a must, and it's important to find a form that works for you. Social media can't always (or arguably, often) be trusted to give us a realistic image of what our social circle should look like. We can't just expect friendships to appear – it's likely you'll have to put yourself out there to find them, and work hard to maintain these relationships. Tips from mental health charity Mind 1. Be patient and avoid comparisons Try to be gentle and patient with yourself. Take things at your own pace and try not to compare yourself to other people. 2. Make new connections This could be online or in person. Some people join groups that focus on a hobby they enjoy, or meet up to do specific activities. These may provide a space to meet new people and find support. 3. Open up to people you know Try and open up to people you know. Many of us have experienced loneliness, but it can be a scary thought to tell other people about it. It might be helpful to think about what you want to say in advance. You may find that they've experienced similar feelings before. 4. Join an online mental health community A prime example of this is Mind's Side by Side. It's a safe space where people with experience of a mental health problem can share their story, connect and learn from others, and give support in return. 5. Try talking therapies. Talking therapies can help you explore what feeling lonely means to you. Your therapist can help you develop different ways of managing your feelings Mind has several helplines available for advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem:
