Title lost but Joan winning bigger battle

JOAN BICHARD is not getting worked up at the thought of losing her Royal Guernsey Golf Club women's championship title next week. An opening 87 on Tuesday left her 12 shots off the hot pace set by the impressive Jan Chamberlain.

Even if 12 shots were not too big a deficit to overcome, an appointment with the radiographers in Southampton ensures the 62-year-old former island champion has no chance of defending her trophy.

But, in the grand scheme of things, losing in a golf competition is very much of secondary

importance to the 2007 lady captain elect.

All this year the island star has had a bigger battle to face.

Last year ended with her being diagnosed as having breast cancer and lymph nodes under left armpit.

The lump and nodes have long been removed and since March she has been undergoing regular chemotherapy treatment.

But, just like Chamberlain's game since returning from a long spell honing her golf in Portugal, things are looking good.

After five more weeks of radiotherapy, Joan hopes by the end of September to have the final all-clear and be back into her usual routine of golf four times a week.

That she has been able to play at all during her illness has been a godsend, she says.

'Being still able to play has been a real salvation.

She admits to being very fortunate to be able to play through her illness, because it had not been expected.

Had the envisaged original treatment gone to plan, she would have been denied her favourite sport.

A line into her right arm and across into her upper chest caused a blood clot and because of that an alternative pathway for the chemo into her blood supply was required.

Had the line not been so problematical, she says the golf would have had to wait.

'I had a mammogram in January 2004 and it didn't show anything. But by November, this lump had come.'

An operation to remove it revealed that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes which were also cut away.

'The options were to go down the chemo route or ignore it.'

Being desperate further to increase the prospects of a full and long-term recovery, she decided to take the treatment which, to her unexpected relief, has been kind to her.

'The main thing is that I've just felt very tired, but never sick.

'I've been extremely lucky.'

She has nothing but praise for those who have looked after her and the support she has received.

'The treatment you get here at Bulstrode House is fantastic.

'I've had all my cancer treatment here and it's like a home from home. It really is top-class.'

The prognosis is good. She is relieved to be able to quote figures that of all breast cancer sufferers, there is an 85% chance of complete recovery.

Her golfing friends have helped keep up her morale.

'The support has been tremendous. So many members have come to see me in hospital or here. There have been so many messages of good luck too. They've been superb.'