Nearly two years ago, my sister-in-law Sandra rang me one evening to tell me she had been diagnosed with oesophagus cancer. It was shocking and scary and we talked about the plan which the doctors had given her for treating this disease.
After weeks of test and scans, Sandra went through chemotherapy and surgery, followed by more chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There were moments of good news and moments of bad news but throughout it all we assumed that the doctors would have a plan and would have some treatment, a way of combating the next medical problem. And mostly they did.
But later last year, it became clear that Sandra wasn’t getting better and as the weeks passed by we were presented with the news that her illness was terminal. For anyone this news is shocking, but for someone so young, so vivacious and with two young children to care for, it was particularly cruel.
Sandra died peacefully in December 2012 with my brother at her side. She was just 40 years old and still had so much life left to live and so much more that she could have done and achieved. She blasted into the life of our family with laughter, noise and fun and left us with two beautiful children who miss the love and care of their mother terribly.
When Sandra was diagnosed, we rightly assumed that the doctors would have a medical plan to treat and cure her cancer. We didn’t realise that oesophagus cancer is one of ‘those’ cancers – one of those which is notoriously late to diagnose and hard to treat.
Massive steps have been made in cancer treatments over the last 30 years with many of the common cancers having great survival rates and some of the previously untreatable cancers now being treatable. And this is all because of money invested in cancer research.
We need your help – to fund research into those nasty cancers which still don’t have a high enough survival rate. Cancers such as oesphagus, pancreas and brain cancer. Cancers which continue to take our loved ones.
I’m running the Race for Life in honour and memory of my beautiful sister-in-law Sandra and I want to raise as much money as possible in her name for Cancer research.
Please sponsor me. Losing Sandra has left a massive void in our family. We all miss her and don’t want other families to go through the same experience.
Please sponsor me – every penny counts and whatever amount you can pledge will be put to good use. I would rather you pledge me £1 than not at all, it all adds up and I am hugely grateful for any amount, large or small. You can pledge online at http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/onepint
Thank you and God bless,
Sarah xx
Sarah & Sandra
Sarah's Race for Life Blog 