‘I have friends for life now’

The kindness of strangers touched Fiona Podmore (far left), 39, when she was at her lowest ebb

There’s a silver lining to having cancer, I’ve discovered, and that is the realisation that the world is a good place.

My family and I had just moved from London to the Cotswolds when I was diagnosed in December 2015. The tumour was large but fortunately it wasn’t as aggressive as this type of cancer can be. I needed a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. When the lumpectomy wasn’t successful, I opted for a full mastectomy.

I had 18 weeks of treatment to get through and wondered how I’d cope with young children to look after. My husband had to work and I didn’t have any family nearby to help. That’s when the community rallied round. School mums would pick up my daughter from school and give her tea; others would look after the baby when I felt sick. The women’s group at the church organised a food rota; a neighbour walked with me to chemotherapy appointments; and I’d find flowers on my doorstep. It was incredible and made me realise I could get through this awful time. I have friends for life now.

Having cancer has made me very grateful for what I have and I cherish every moment with my children. My goal is to be here for them as they grow and I’ve realised that to do that I’ve got to look after myself.

I’ve signed up to do the Moonwalk with my friend Lorna who, like me, is a cancer survivor. We both feel we’ve been given a second chance at this wonderful life, and we’re going to do everything we can to take it.