‘A MUM WITH CANCER IS STILL A MUM’
Family turned to charity for help after medics said grandmother’s incurable cancer was pleurisy
Living with cancer isn’t easy – every day can be a rollercoaster’
ABRAVE mum has told how her world was shattered after finding out she had incurable breast cancer during lockdown.
Mary Carmichael was devastated when doctors delivered the heartbreaking news – then tests revealed the disease, which had initially gone undiagnosed, had spread to her lymph nodes, ribs and liver.
The 60-year-old had first gone to see her GP after experiencing pain in her breast and side, only to be told she had pleurisy.
She said: “I just knew deep down something wasn’t right.
“My doctor examined me and diagnosed pleurisy. I thought that must be the reason I felt so unwell.
“I went to Madrid on holiday and the pain became so bad I had to go to a pharmacy for help. As soon as I arrived home I went straight to hospital and was told I had a blood clot in my lung.
“I was referred for more tests, then four weeks later I was told I had incurable breast cancer.
“I was completely devastated.” Mary was sent for intensive chemotherapy every few weeks and told to shield because of Covid-19, leaving her unable to turn to family or friends in her darkest hour.
She says being cut off from her daughter Laura Brown and grandchildren Kyle, 12 and Sophie, six, left her at breaking point.
Mary added: “I was struggling to cope and being told I couldn’t see my family took a massive toll on me.
“We are all so close and not being able to put my arms around Laura and my grandkids when I needed them most left me feeling hopeless, alone and depressed.”
She says only help from Cancer Support Scotland in Glasgow’s west end helped her make it through.
The lifeline charity, founded by the father of Glaswegian TV star Susan Calman, offers unique therapies and counselling services that complement the work of Scotland’s NHS at a time when it has never been under a greater strain.
Its home, the Calman Centre, is based in the grounds of Gartnavel in Glasgow’s west end, within the hospital’s former chapel. Sir Kenneth, Scotland’s former chief medical officer, has described the ground-breaking support service as his ‘proudest achievement’.
Mary, from Bishopbriggs, was referred there for counselling - and says staff there transformed her outloook.
She explained: “Just having someone to talk to about my fears and worries lifted a massive weight from my shoulders.
“The counselling sessions allowed me to come to terms with having an incurable condition and now I’m learning to live for each day. I’ve also learned breathing
techniques for when I feel stressed or anxious.
“Living with cancer isn’t easy. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, but the advice and support from the charity has given me shows that not only can I live a fulfilling life with cancer, I can thrive too.”
Cancer Support Scotland has also been able to help Mary’s family come to terms with her diagnosis.
Daughter Laura, 34, has been able to access the range of services available at the charity’s base.
The nursery worker said: “My mum is just so brave. By the time her cancer was diagnosed it was already secondary.
“She always put on a brave face for everyone else, but deep down I knew she was struggling.
“Mum has had to cope with hair loss, shielding and other side effects of the chemotherapy. That is tough for anyone, but she has had to deal with the isolation lockdown brought at the same time.
“Cancer will take over mum one day and I want my kids to know that she’s did everything she could to keep going.
“That’s why the counselling sessions are so crucial. They have changed her outlook and given her a new determination to move forward.
“A mum with cancer is still a
mum. Before the charity stepped in, she seemed defeated, now I’ve got my rock and my best friend back.”
Cancer Support Scotland yesterday launched it’s festive campaign, Give A Little More This Christmas, in a bid to raise cash to help more families like Mary’s.
People from all across Scotland have been helped by their digital wellbeing services during the pandemic as most of their face-to-face support were reduced because of Covid.
Mary added: “This has been a lifeline and I will be forever grateful for the support I have been given. “I don’t want others to struggle on their own like I did, so I’m asking Glasgow Times readers to support the charity’s festive appeal. Cancer Support
Scotland was there for me when I needed it most, but that was only possible because of people’s generosity.
“That allowed them to stay on the end of the phone to provide a service for me and others like me.”
The charity’s chief executive Rob Murray, inset left, says the organisation’s role is more important than ever because of the pandemic.
He said: “Mary is an inspirational lady, as is her daughter Laura. They are a family we have been proud to be able to help.
“Their story epitomises the difference this charity can make to people’s lives. At a time when our National Health Service is shouldering a huge burden, we are able to step in and provide vital services and support.
“While patients’ physical wellbeing is so important, so is their mental health. The focus on that has never been more in the spotlight and we understand what people facing cancer are going through. That is why our counselling and holistic services can change outlooks – and lives.
“Coping with a cancer diagnosis can be especially difficult at this time of year, and that’s why I would ask anyone who can donate to our festival appeal to please do so.”
To give visit www. cancersupportscotland.org/donate/