Life Update


I’ve not posted an updated blog here lately and that’s because, you may have seen via my Twitter account that my Mother sadly passed away at the beginning of this month - Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

I started this blog CancerCarerChats in March 2017 when my Mother was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer.  The blog was a place for me to document what happens when someone is diagnosed with the “mystery” illness that is talked about, written about in the papers, featured in film and television storylines, but so rarely realistically described in detail.  It was a place for me to share what life with cancer is really like and to share tips and advice.  But this blog became so much more.  It became my refuge.  Caring for someone with cancer is isolating and the blog was a place for to express my emotions through writing and I met an amazing community of people who understood and supported the difficulties my mother and I faced in our life. 
  • I wrote about the worrying and confusing time of supporting a loved one when they are diagnosed with a terminal illness.  How you want to do everything to help them but feel helpless that you can’t.
  • I gave up my career to care for my Mother and described my reasons for doing so, the courage it took, the worries that come with working with the impact of cancer and wrote about what it was like to be a carer
  • I lifted the lid on the cruel side effects of chemotherapy and how this life saving treatment, ironically, works by ‘poisoning’ by the body.
  • When my Mother underwent a massive 9hr surgery in which multiple organs were removed, I praised her amazing NHS medical team for working with her and her family to create a treatment plan which nursed her back to health.
  • On Twitter, I whispered the amazing news on Christmas Eve that her final CT scans showed that she miraculously had ‘No Evidence of the Disease’ and all our hard work had paid off and our hopes were still alive.  What an amazing Christmas we had!
  • Earlier this year, what now seems like years ago, I wrote about life after cancer, friendships that have been gained and lost and coming to terms with a prognosis – understanding that those who have been diagnosed with cancer have been enlightened and know to cherish every moment that they have with a loved one.
And now a new chapter begins, for this is where I will continue the journey alone.
Exactly a year to the week that she was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer.  I let go of her hand but she will forever be in my heart.

Mx

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