My Story
On Saturday 24th October 2015 my dad sadly passed away with a short & intense battle with Cancer. It all started when my dad complained of an intense chesty cough. It gradually got worse so he took the time to go and see somebody about it. At the time we never thought the chesty cough was going to be anything serious, our dad was unstoppable. I was just back from Madrid, it was Tuesday 14th July 2015 and my dad came round to deliver the heart breaking news that he had cancer. I remember thinking how calm he was, I knew he was scared but he was so strong for me and my siblings. Following that there were three weeks of testing and waiting and eventually he was given the diagnoses. Dad was diagnosed with Small-Cell Carcinoma Lung Cancer - a quick spreading cancer. It was found in his left lung and had already spread to the lymph nodes in his respiratory system. Due to the intensity and the location of his cancer we were told by the doctors that they couldn't operate on him. They offered chemotherapy but we were told that chemotherapy if it worked would only prolong his life and that the cancer would ever go away. He was so strong and took the doctors up on their offer of chemotherapy. I looked after him as much as I could, took him to his appointments and was by his side for his chemo sessions. The chemo hit him hard, but he kept his smile and was really brave for all of us. After three short sessions of chemo test results showed that the cancer was only getting worse and that it wasn't working. The news we all feared. Not long after this the doctors discovered the cancer had spread to his brain. My dad was a shadow of the man we once knew. He could no longer do simple things for himself and eventually could no longer talk. He could no longer be at home, and was admitted to a care home where he sadly passed away a month later. The last few weeks were so hard but passed by very quickly. I am thankful that his suffering was only a short period of time but I miss him every day. Cancer has also effected my mum, although she was one of the lucky ones. A small lump showed up on my mums mammogram scans which luckily she had removed before it had progressed into anything serious. My mum was treated with radiotherapy after her operation and is now 5 years clear. My dad is 1 in millions of people who have passed away or been affected by cancer. Cancer effects 1 in 2 of us. Specialised doctors and nurses at cancer research are finding new information and ways to treat this terrible illness everyday. I want to do my part and help raise money for these wonderful people in the hope that one day we will find a cure. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and if you can please donate any money to this unbelievable charity I would be so grateful! Now the training begins..... Love Sarah-Louise
