Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I want people to know, don’t be afraid of the Hospice.. it’s here to help
Woman praises staff as cancer journey nears its end
Nathan. It is where she will feel her husband Kevin’s hand in hers before their final farewell.
It is where she is living with a cancer that has hunted her down and taken the cruellest toll despite every effort, endless treatment and her own mammoth personal battle in mind, body and spirit against the disease.
Sharon said: “The reality is that I have plans. Of course I want to make sure my sons and my husband know that I am living. But I know I am very sick and this cancer will not just go away no matter how hard I fight. “When I got the diagnosis in 2012, I decided the fight was on and I’ve been fighting for five years and I’ll fight for as long as I can.
“I have been living every moment. I rest in the mornings so I can get organised for the afternoon when the boys come over from school.
“Today we are planning to go to the Abbeycentre because I want to get some furniture and bedding for the house. There will be a time when I won’t be here and I want them to be prepared and comfortable.
“It’s as simple as that. I’ve had to face the reality of this illness but I’ll never give up and the hospice and everything it offers, allows me to keep fighting.”
Kevin, 44, explained: “It is still beyond belief when I say this because I know how careful Sharon always was about her diet and physical health and fitness. She was 35 when she started struggling with digestive problems and various investigations revealed nothing sinister.
“But 15 months after seeking help she was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour. It’s a cancer of the digestive system which starts in the stomach wall. If caught early it is treatable but by the time Sharon’s was caught, it had moved to her liver and now it has crept into her bones.
“So from the start we were told she would be treated palliatively so there was no cure but she could live with the cancer if we could keep it at bay. One tablet a day