"I say that we live each day as we can, and I live the best life that I can."
Emily was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2018, which then spread to her brain.
When we met Emily, it was clear that her priority was to be at home with her two children for as long as she possibly could. Our team of Community Nurses, Social Workers and Therapists made that possible. Here she tells us about her time with the Hospice.
"There isn't a magic cure for me so I've put everything in place and that's all I can do," said Emily.
"The Hospice staff have supported me in offloading emotionally and have set me short-term tasks, as my memory isn't so good. They have helped me introduce my children to St Peter's, tour the place and find out about help for the family.
"I've been praised that I'm open with the kids. My daughter is 9 and my son is 13. I'm dealing with it in a practical, stoic way and my son is quite similar. My daughter however is much more emotional and unsettled. I've signed her up for the young persons drop-in so she can meet others of her own age, going through the same thing. When we went to the drop-in session, I also met other people in a similar situation to us.
"You think you've conquered cancer and then it comes back. There's no rhyme or reason why you haven't beaten it. I did feel like I'd done something wrong when it returned but I've learnt that there's nothing I could have done differently.
"I was first diagnosed in 2018 and responded by trying to get fit. I went super healthy the first time round, wore a lot of Lycra and ate vegan food because I'd read that it was the best diet. I thought I'd beaten cancer but the infections came back. First there were urine infections, then ear infections, pulmonary embolisms and pneumonia. There was a new drug that I tried but it made my blood count really bad, and my body just couldn't handle it.
"I've been quite practical about my diagnosis. My daughter can ask me anything, even, 'how long have you got?' I say that we live each day as we can, and I live the best life that I can. You just have to deal with where you are and accept that you've changed."
Support groups for young people
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"It's been incredible being here. Everyone, even the domestic staff has time to talk to you. I've been in a lot of hospitals, but you feel this place is so serene."
Continue readingYou may notice that our website has a new look. Research carried out last year revealed there were many barriers to people accessing our support, so our refreshed branding aims to help break down misconceptions about who we are and what we do.
This is part of a bigger piece of work for us - we're aiming to double the number of people we support by 2030.
You can find out more here
