Just over a year ago, Louise Horton was undergoing treatment following a stage three breast cancer diagnosis. Now, after completing Swansea City AFC Foundation's FIT Jacks programme as part of her determination to make the most of every day, she feels she has had a new lease of life. 

There were times during Louise Horton's treatment for breast cancer when she felt she would not come through her illness.

Months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and undergoing a mastectomy were all part of a gruelling period following Louise's diagnosis with stage three breast cancer.

Now, just over two-and-a-half years after starting her chemotherapy, she has been giving the all-clear and recently completed Swansea City AFC Foundation's FIT Jacks programme.

For Louise it feels like she has been given a new lease of life.

She first became aware of the Foundation's work through its partnership with the National Autistic Society.

That programme offered parents of autistic children an opportunity to take part in health and wellbeing activities that could be balanced around their caring duties.

During those sessions, Louise heard about the FIT Jacks programme, which offers a 12-week course focused on improving the physical and mental health of participants through physical activity and education on healthy lifestyle choices.

She had already been on the lookout for such an initiative after getting the all-clear.

And FIT Jacks proved to the ideal outlet after an incredibly challenging and difficult few years for Louise and her family.

“I signed up because last year I completed chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer,” she said.

“I wanted to do more fitness and look after myself, and that’s why I joined the programme.

“I am a year cancer-free now, I started chemotherapy in May 2022, it was nine months of chemotherapy with sessions every week. I then had a left-sided mastectomy, followed by three weeks of radiotherapy every day.

“Having had stage three breast cancer, I think I was one of the lucky ones, because I don't think I or the team at Singleton - who were amazing - thought I would be here.

“I had the all-clear last May, and once I got over my treatment I decided that it was time to grasp life, live for each day, and look after myself, not just my physical wellbeing but also my mental wellbeing.”

Over the course of the programme, Louise lost five kilograms, as well as learning ways that she can manage her health and wellbeing at home, and opening her eyes to a number of different activities that she hadn’t previously explored.

“Doing the programme has just brought life into me, it’s opened a load of avenues that I wouldn’t have gone down without it," she added. 

"I’ve joined the gym now, I’m out walking nearly every day, it’s given me a new lease of life and the team have been so supportive.

“I’m a single Mum with four children and two grandchildren, my granddaughter is two and my grandson is 15 months old, so to have a life and be fit enough and well enough to spend each day with them, you can’t put money on it.

“It’s benefited me and my family because I can do more with them now.

“I come every week to learn tips on how to be healthy, how to look after myself physically and emotionally.

“It was a very long process, there were days where I didn’t think I would wake up in the morning, to be here living life and enjoying life, and being here with a great team every week gives me so much to live for.”

Shauna Thornhill leads the FIT Jacks sessions in Gorseinon, and is thrilled that the programme has had such an impact on Louise after her brave battle with cancer.

“Louise’s story is so inspiring, it’s amazing to see her come so far and to be doing everything she can to live life to the fullest after everything she has been through," said Thornhill.

“You can already see what an impact the programme has had on her, and to hear abut the impact that it’s having outside of the sessions on her family life is exactly what we look to do.

“This is the first step for a lot of people, so for her to now be taking what we’ve done here at New Lodge and continuing it across other activities, that shows she has really taken on board what we have been saying here.”