FROM ME TO YOU

Hitchcock began writing to her friend Brian when he was in cancer treatment. The idea grew into From Me to You, which delivered 9000 letters to cancer patients last year. It’s changed Alison’s life, too, and she shared her story with me:

‘To begin with, Brian was just an acquaintance. I made this rather odd offer, that I would write letters to him to cheer him up through his treatment. I have no idea why I said it. The only things I ever wrote were 60-word posts to go on jobs boards.

‘Brian’s cancer lasted for two-and-a-half years, and I wrote over 100 letters. I loved the way that I started to see the world. I’d go around with a notebook, hunting out good or funny stories to share with him, and it made my own life much nicer. You slow down and become more reflective and considered. You give of yourself a lot more, because it’s very intimate between the two of you, and other people are not going to see it. He used to take my letters to chemo, and he said it was like I was there with him. He always wanted to go on his own. He had a partner, and lots of family and friends, but he didn’t want to burden them. Or he would save the letter for a point when he was feeling quite low, and sit down with his cup of tea. And he knew it would brighten up his day.

‘By the time Brian got the all-clear in 2013, we were best friends. The letters completely changed my life. I’d fallen in love with writing, and I signed up to do an MA in creative writing as a result.

‘In 2016, we started the charity. We encourage people to write to someone they know with cancer, because it’s lonely when everybody else has gone to work or the pub, and you’re at home. And the only thing that you get is pity.

‘Something as simple as a card or a letter can get through that bubble. And it’s all on the person’s own terms. They read it when they want; they might reread it; or put it in their memory box. But they know that you were thinking of them.’