“The light at the end of the tunnel”
‘’After a family history with cancer, I always had a worry that it would happen to me in the back of my mind. I had a smear in 1988 when everything came back normal. In 1989 after having unusual symptoms, I had a second smear which revealed abnormal cells, this led to me needing a hysterectomy and thankfully had no further issues afterwards.
In September 2022 I knew something wasn’t right, after visiting health professionals and further tests unfortunately I had to be told I had cancer again, this time a tumour in the anus. I had the strongest radiotherapy I could have, and was given the all clear in February 2023. In February 2024, I was told it had come back, this time meaning I needed surgery to remove the affected area, as I couldn’t have radiotherapy again due to having the strongest radio therapy last time and chemotherapy not being an option, it was essentially 3 surgeries in 1 that I had to endure to repair and remove what was needed. Thankfully the surgery worked, and in September 2024 was given the all clear!’’
Maggie’s daughter Heidi reached out to us to apply for a dream for her mum. Heidi knew her mum wanted to visit Cork in Ireland, and kindly asked if we could make this happen. Heidi spoke so highly of Maggie, describing a kind hearted, lovely woman who always put others first and that it was time for Maggie to have a break for herself. Our dreams coordinator Lauren spoke to Heidi and planned a home visit to meet Maggie and herself, in which we were able to book flights and an apartment for Maggie to visit Cork during the Christmas period. During Maggie’s visit to Cork, she got to visit the Titanic Experience in Cobh, Cork City prison and Blarney Castle – the home of the Blarney Stone. Maggie even took her beloved teddy for the trip with them that her mum gave her when she was younger for the adventure. This was just the break Maggie needed after the last few years and finally getting the all clear news. It was a pleasure to arrange this for Maggie and her family and to hear all about it when they got home.
Maggie said, “I’m so thankful for the trip away, it was a lovely break where we got to make special memories as a family and we all took some well deserved time for ourselves. Thank You EvesTrust for making this a reality”.
