Cancer
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| Mum |
This post needs no other title than that of ‘Cancer’.
No description or sub-heading is needed.
Nothing more than that one word.
That one upsetting, devasting word.
Cancer
When I was 12 years old, I remember my mum and dad sitting me and twin sister down. They wanted to talk to us about something.
Was I in trouble? What had done? I wracked my brain. Had I forgotten to hang my clothes up? Did I leave my plate on the sofa or my rubbish on the table?
As 12 years old I didn’t really have any other worries than those listed above!
How wrong I was.
I could tell by their faces that something wasn’t right. Their watery eyes and blotchy faces gave it away.
Mum had ovarian cancer.
I’d heard about Cancer. On the news, word of mouth and on the posters in the doctor’s office. I knew it was bad and that it made people ill, but that was the extent of my knowledge.
According to the NHS Choices website: “Cancer of the ovary affects more than 6,500 women in the UK each year. It is the fifth most common cancer among women after breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer and cancer of the uterus (womb).”
I also recently read that ovarian cancer is most common in women who have had the menopause (usually over the age of 50), but it can affect women of any age.
I’m sure most people have heard of Jade Goody. She was just 27 years old when she died of ovarian cancer leaving behind her two sons.
Going back to my mum and for the first couple of years she was relatively well despite the cancer.
Around three years after mums diagnosis, we found out that she would need more intensive treatment. She started to loose her hair and she started to lose weight.
Around this time I was 15 years old and like most teenagers I wanted to go out most evenings with my friends. This is one of my biggest regrets in life.
If only I had known that within the next three years life would be so different.
I remember once we went on holiday abroad. I can’t remember exactly where, but we had all gone to a water park for the day. Mum was so funny! She went on all the slides and despite losing her top on more than a handful of occasions and flashing everyone, this didn’t stop her from having fun!
I also remember my mum baking and cooking. Something that I look forward to doing with R and M when they’re older.
Mum always made a Christmas cake every year. I remember she would start making it a number of months in advance and it would sit in our utility room in a big plastic box. I looked forward to her Christmas cake every year. She also made the best toffee ever! I tried to make it myself once before our twins were born, but I failed miserably! It was runny and I couldn’t for the life of me get it to set, but it tasted exactly the same as Mums even if the consistency was all wrong!
Mum had two operations and relapsed on five seperate occasions meaning she had to have chemotherapy.
I always hear of people talking about how strong people with Cancer are and I couldn’t agree more. Mum was strong and managed to go back to work in between treatment as a nurse.
During the summer months Mum could be found pottering about in the garden and she always ensured each and every half term that she was home with us.
I used to enjoy going shopping with my mum and we could spend hours in town just browsing through the clothes.
In late 2004 Mums condition deteriorated and had to stay in hospital over Christmas and over her Birthday.
I’ll never forget that Christmas. It was so strange waking up Christmas morning and not seeing Mum sat on the sofa in her dressing gown. Dad, my sister and I packed up all the Christmas presents and made our way to hospital early that morning so we could all be together to open our presents.
It was heart-breaking when we had to leave. It felt wrong that Mum would be on her own in hospital on Christmas day. Mums 50th birthday came and went and we celebrated it with her in hospital.
It was to be her last birthday.
In May 2005, Mum passed away.
My sister and I were at home when my Dad called from hospital. He didn’t tell us she had gone, just that we needed to get to the hospital as soon as we could.
When we arrived, my sister and I raced to the room where Mum was. She wasn’t there.
From behind us we could hear our Dad calling us. As we turned and saw his face we knew. Nothing more had to be said.
We were taken into a private side room and I just sat there in a daze. I knew it was inevitable and that it was going to happen one day, but that was exactly it. I always thought that ‘one day’ would never come, but it had.
Life hasn’t been the same since. Every year bar the last two (due to being pregnant) since her passing, I have taken part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life to help raise money for them in the hope that one day a cure will be found.
That one day no-more little girls will have to go shopping without their Mummy.
So that every little girls will get to taste their Mummies Christmas cake for many, many years.
So that every little girl will be able to hold their Mummies hand and wake with her Christmas morning.
It breaks my heart to think of girls loosing me. For them to grow without a Mum.
The reason I have decided to share my Mums story with you all, is because my husband and I are raising money for Cancer Research UK and Bliss.
If you can spare just £1 that could be all it takes to make a difference to someone’s life.
To make a donation, please click here.
By donating you will also be entered into our Charity Raffle. More information about this can be found by clicking here.
