In the face of breast cancer, Tess Sutherns, Senior Supply Chain Manager at Bellrock, reveals how she discovered her inner strength, found unexpected support from new colleagues, and turned her diagnosis into an opportunity to help others.
With her fighting spirit, Tess has turned her focus to helping others through fundraising. With a year-long treatment journey ahead of her, Tess’ uniquely positive outlook is unmistakeable. Currently going through six months of chemotherapy, she has another three and a half months to go along with surgery and further treatment.
The phone call came on New Year’s Eve 2024. As the world prepared to celebrate a new year, Tess received news that would define her year ahead: invasive triple negative breast cancer. But that year would teach her more about her own strength than she imagined.
“My mindset from the beginning was to see all the positives that my diagnosis and treatment gave me,” Tess explains.
“I’ve met some amazing people and learned that there are truly strong, inspirational individuals around you at all times – people whose strength and support I might never have recognised before.”
Though friends and colleagues had always seen Tess as determined and strong-willed, she never fully believed it herself. Her diagnosis has changed that, she explains: “I’ve learnt that I have a deep strength and commitment to stay strong. I struggled with anxiety and lack of self belief – that has completely changed. What I use to be anxious and worry about no longer seems important and strangely my life has become less stressful and far more fulfilling.”
Support from colleagues
The timing of Tess’s diagnosis added another layer of complexity to her situation. She had accepted her role at Bellrock a matter of hours before being told the lump she had found was most likely cancerous.
She worried about how a new employer would handle her situation. “Would they support someone who needed accommodations right from the start? Would I pass probation? Would I feel pressured to resign? At that point, I didn’t even know what my treatment would involve,” recalls Tess.
After three anxious days she spoke with her line manager, Louis Waldron. His response immediately put her at ease, setting the tone for the company-wide support she would receive.
“The biggest support is simply being there for me, giving me the time I need when having a bad day,” Tess shares. From practical help, like arranging convenient parking to thoughtful gestures from senior leadership, Bellrock’s response exceeded her expectations.
“I am a warrior, not a survivor”
This powerful statement captures Tess’s approach to cancer. It’s more than just words; to her it’s a mindset that shapes her entire journey.
“I know it might sound strange,” she says. “But to me, ‘survivor’ suggests ‘victim’ – someone without choices. I’m not a victim of cancer. I’m just a woman who happens to have it and is fighting it.”
This mentality has helped her embrace necessary changes. She’s learned to adjust her priorities, improve her work-life balance, and accept help from others, things that didn’t come naturally to her before.
Remarkably, for Tess, facing cancer has become about more than her own journey and it’s sparked a desire to help others. She recently signed up to the Pretty Muddy 5K run for Breast Cancer Now with friends and family at her side, and she’s actively fundraising for Cancer Research UK. Bellrock has contributed £500 to support her efforts.
When asked why she chose Cancer Research UK rather than focusing solely on breast cancer organisations, Tess’s answer reveals her thoughtful approach: “I have triple negative breast cancer, which can be linked to genetic mutations. I underwent DNA testing for a number of gene variations, thankfully I don’t carry them, but if I had, the implications would have been far-reaching for my whole family.”
Tess is enthusiastic about research developments and wanted to ensure she could support research across all types of cancer and help develop better treatments for everyone.
Words of advice
For others facing a similar diagnosis, Tess offers thoughtful and hard-earned advice: “Don’t Google anything. Talk to the people around you instead.
“Be open about how you are feeling, you will be amazed at the amount of people in your life that have been affected by cancer in some way.”
While she recommends hospital services and support groups, she highlights that the timing for reaching out to the provisions available is very personal. She adds: “This is your journey. Make it about you for once.”
She has suggestions for employers and colleagues too and recommends they reach out to charities linked to serious illnesses, as many offer free training for HR teams, managers and colleagues alike.
Looking forward together
Tess’s cancer diagnosis, and possible effects of a year-long, five-phase, treatment plan, has prompted her to re-evaluate her career plans: “I have put any career progression plans on hold for this year. I don’t really know what is ahead except the next appointment.”
She admits that having cancer has forced her to take a long hard look at her work-life balance and to make changes to prioritise time for herself, family and friends. She explains that this change “…is not only due to my mindset, but the support and commitment Bellrock have given me too”.
Throughout her journey, Tess has been committed to looking hard to find silver linings. She sums up by explaining that for her there has been an unexpected joy of “…learning how much I’m loved, by family and friends, and seeing human kindness at its absolute best”.
At Bellrock, we wish Tess the very best in her recovery and thank her for sharing her story so openly, her positive attitude shines through.
To donate to Tess’s fundraising page, visit: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/teresas-giving-page-828
