Four years ago, Fiona Christie was clapping and whistling in the audience of Courage on the Catwalk.
This year, she will be one of the 21 models taking to the stage to raise funds for Friends of Anchor.
“The first one I went to in 2018, it was like 13 years of flood gates opened that day. I was howling like a baby,” she said.
“I was clapping and whistling for everyone – it was amazing. So when I got the call to say I’d been chosen, to say I was shocked and stunned is an understatement.”
The 58-year-old said finding out she had received a number of nominations – including from her husband James and son – was “quite emotional”.
With rehearsals now in full swing, the closer it gets to the big day, the more nervous Mrs Christie feels.
“Everyone says I’ll love it, so I’m sure I will,” she said. “A lot of folk think I’m quite boisterous and game for everything, but I am quite a shy person underneath – especially being in front of a lot of people and trying to walk without falling.”
“It’s quite daunting but it’s exciting as well.”
‘Everything happened so quickly’
Those taking part in the Friends of Anchor event are all at different stages of their cancer journey.
Mrs Christie’s started in 2006 when she was unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I’d been to the doctor the day before for something totally different and had just said, ‘Does this feel like a lump I’ve got under my arm?’ The doctor said it was just a fatty lump but he’d send me for a mammogram to be on the safe side,” she said.
“My husband and I were going on holiday, so I went to get the mammogram on the day we came back, the Monday, and it was the hottest day of the year – it’s funny how you remember these things.
“It was a fatty lump but in doing the mammogram they found that I also had breast cancer. My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die’.
“And then everything happened so quickly”.
The NHS receptionist, from Aberdeen, was to be treated with medication and a lumpectomy, but after further investigation into her mammogram, core biopsies had to be completed.
She said: “The waiting is the worst part. I had a three week wait and then another three week wait, then we got the call saying they had to give me a mastectomy sooner rather than later.”
Finding a way to give back
Mrs Christie’s cancer journey inspired her make a career change which she said made her a “stronger person”.
After working as a school cook for 18 years while her sons Garry and Kevin were young, she decided to find a job with the NHS as a way to give back.
“My oldest son said I should go to Careers Scotland and I ended up getting my job in the endoscopy unit. I just wanted to be with patients and give back,” she said.
“That’s 15 years I’ve been there now. It was definitely a change for me after having cancer.”
As she was beginning to put everything behind her and move on in her new role, Mrs Christie was given the news that the cancer had returned during her three-year checkup.
“It was a shock when it came back but it was quickly rectified. I just got on with doing what I normally do,” the mum-of-two said. “It was everybody around me that was crumbling.
“I never felt sorry for myself as there are people worse than me. Sometimes I do feel guilty because I’m still here, and because I never got the chemo, I feel I never went the whole circle.
“My breast care nurses, Kate and Fiona, were absolutely brilliant. And working in the NHS, they always said if you’re worried about anything, just pop and see us. They’re always there for me.
Reflecting on her own experience, the 58-year-old said the key was to think positive and “take each day as it comes”.
“If you’re going through the journey, you’ve got to have the right attitude and be strong. Sometimes it is very difficult, but you’ve just got to live each day as it comes. Treat every day as your last day.”
‘A special bond’
This year’s Courage on the Catwalk cast were all selected for the 2020 fashion show which was postponed due to Covid. Sadly, they have lost three of the women over that time.
In the past two years, the women have been able to develop a “special bond” which will continue long after they leave the stage.
“We had only met up three times before lockdown but we have a WhatsApp chat, so we’ve got a brilliant relationship. I’ve met up with a few of the girls, I’ve been out for coffee with a couple of them and stuff like that. It’s been lovely.
“We’ll have a special bond.”
Courage on the Catwalk will take place at the Beach Ballroom on May 7 and 8.
