PATSY Hall was living in Spain when she was bluntly given the news that she had breast cancer.

Offered little support and terrified that she would not see her four-year-old son grow up, she turned to the internet for help and found a lifeline in Breast Cancer Care.

Now she is one of hundreds of survivors and supporters preparing to don a pink ribbon and help the charity in its work for other cancer sufferers.

The eighth annual Breast Cancer Care Pink Ribbonwalk takes place at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock on Saturday, May 19. It will see walkers tackle either a 10- or 20-mile route through the picturesque palace grounds, raising sponsorship for Breast Cancer Care’s continuing support of patients.

This summer Mrs Hall will be taking part in the Pink Ribbon Cycle Ride at Blenheim on August 18.

Mrs Hall, 47, who lives in Chipping Norton, said: “My family and I had moved to Spain for a new life, but we were struggling.

“Then one day I found a lump.

“It was about two weeks before I got the news the lump was malignant.

“And unfortunately, the Spanish doctor was very matter-of-fact and there was no real support offered to me. I just remember having this huge sinking feeling and grabbing hold of my husband Graham and crying. All I could think about was my son Grant, who was only four, and whether I would see him grow up.”

Mrs Hall was told she would need surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and was sent home to prepare. She said: “I was numb, but there was so much I needed to know. So I went online and found Breast Cancer Care.

“The charity became my lifeline. I had so many questions about the drugs being put in me, and side-effects and it helped in so many ways.

“Then my husband had to go back to England to find work. I was alone and frightened with Grant. But Breast Cancer Care even helped me find a book, called Mummy’s Lump, which helped me explain to him what was happening. I don’t know what I would have done without the charity’s help.”

After undergoing a lumpectomy, chemo and radiotherapy in August 2009, Mrs Hall and her family moved to Oxfordshire the following month.

She said: “Back in England Breast Cancer Care were there for me 100 per cent and still are now.”

Mrs Hall, who is now a secretary, took part in Breast Cancer Care’s Pink Ribbonwalk last summer and raised £250 for the charity.

She said: “It felt great to know that just through walking I was helping other people who were going through the things I had and were maybe feeling alone and scared like I had.

“Grant knew why I was doing it and supported me too – he even gave me a pound of his pocket money.”

* Registration for the Breast Cancer Care Pink Ribbonwalk costs £30 with a fundraising target of £175. Individuals and teams are welcome. Everyone crossing the finish line is rewarded with a medal, a massage and a celebratory barbecue.

To register or for more information, go to www.breastcancercare.org.uk or telephone 0870 145 0101