The light and the dark side of Cancer from someone who has had it twice and cared for and lost precious family members to this disease.
Cancer has impacted our family like the most unsavoury, unwelcome, unpleasant guest. In the midst of these uncomfortable feelings there has been joy, laughter and a return to simplicity. Where there is darkness, there is light, where there is sorrow you can find moments of joy.
Having cared for my husband through his cancer journey, never did I envisage a mere 12 months later, I’d be walking the same path. The journey from carer to patient was one I never envisaged – I’m the invincible one, I look after everyone else, I’m the carer, the nurturing one in my extended family. This was never how it was supposed to be.
In 2019 I cared for my beloved dad as he came to terms with saying goodbye to us, due to his advanced cancer. Seeing a loved one go through it, is unlike anything I could have known how to handle or prepare for. So I didn’t, I went with it….I let it teach me what I needed to know, I took a step back from making sure everyone was alright and focussed on me and my dad, on creating the memories that I would cherish for a lifetime.
Little did I realise the pain of losing him wouldn’t just break my heart but it would break my body a little and bring on a second cancer diagnosis. When your grieving, fighting for normality & running your own business, sometimes the only way your body, mind, spirit can tell you what you need to hear is by forcing you to STOP!
To stop and make sense of what is unfolding around me and to me. To stop and do more for me, to prioritise my needs, what I need for my wellbeing (mind, body and spirit), what I need to acknowledge and create to live a life I cherish. My biggest mission in life is to implore you to do the same. STOP. What do you need to do today to live a life that will make you proud? A life in which you thrive.
My dad’s legacy of kindness, play and humility will last forever through me & through his precious grandsons. He was at peace with his life and all that he had been part of and as his daughter, I couldn’t be more honoured to have walked beside him through it all.
I am a Cancer Crusader and I will live a life in which I thrive.