After two separate cancer diagnoses and the loss of her beloved sister, Pamela Williams didn’t feel she had anywhere to turn, until she found CancerCare.
Morecambe-based Pamela, 64, was initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and made a full recovery. Over the next few years, she lost her mother and eldest sister to cancer, and her other sister, Janette, was similarly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pamela and Janette were close and it was a great relief when Janette was given the all clear. However, her cancer returned at the same time as Pamela was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Pamela said: “During scans it was discovered that I had four cancer markers: one on my lung which was confirmed as cancer, and one on my bowel, which turned out to be a polyp. There were also two on my tonsils. It was a very hard time and while I was undergoing surgery, we found out Janette’s cancer had returned and that she wasn’t very well at all. I didn’t have time to grieve for my own illness and instantly put that aside to look after her. I would be with her for five days out of the week, only coming home to see my husband at the weekend, right up until she died.”
Pamela was first introduced to CancerCare by her good friend, Lesley, who previously had breast cancer. She asked Pamela if she might like to join her at CancerCare’s monthly coffee morning in Lancaster. Pamela attended sporadically in between caring for Janette and battling her own health problems, which included a bout of sepsis. Pamela also went to CancerCare’s weekly swimming sessions when she could.
“When I lost Janette, I wasn’t able to come to term with things,” Pamela continued. “I was really depressed, I was crying a lot and I was pushing people who were closest to me away. If things were stressing me out, I’d put them in the ‘too hard basket’ so I didn’t have to deal with them.”
Pamela initially accessed CancerCare’s nutritional therapy services at the Slynedales centre and she is currently having counselling sessions, too.
Pamela said: “My diet has been out the window recently and I’ve not been eating very well. My dietician, Debbie, didn’t focus on the doom and gloom by telling me what I should and shouldn’t be eating, but we had really helpful conversations. My counsellor, Jan, is so empathetic.”
Pamela has also been seeking advice about creating a Will and sorting her affairs for her family in the future by working through CancerCare's Ducks in a Row initiative, an informative guide designed to help plan for the future and give family members peace of mind.
“I’ve found that even talking to the lovely staff at the centre has helped me so much,” she explained. “I’ve been speaking to Anna (Legacy and Individual Giving Officer) about arranging my Will and leaving a gift to CancerCare; she’s been a god send. We met and she talked me through the pages of Ducks in a Row so I now know how to go about making plans when the time comes.”
Pamela plays CancerCare’s weekly Lottery, and she continues to attend the coffee mornings. She said: “If I could have done the Great North Run for CancerCare I would and while I can't give a lot, I buy cake at the coffee morning and I do the Lottery because I know every little bit helps.”
While Pamela is still undergoing regular scans and treatment, she feels like she’s found someone to lean on during these difficult times: “CancerCare has provided me with so much information that I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. They’ve helped me find a little bit of positive and keep going when I didn’t know who to turn to. I was in such a bad place that I honestly don’t know where I’d be in my journey without CancerCare. They deserve everything and more.”
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