Dear Mumma,… From a Cancer Mum x

Cancer Mum… it’s still so hard to say the words and take on the identity but I refuse to treat this as a taboo.

When anyone in your family is diagnosed with cancer it changes your whole life; your perspective, your outlook, your routine, your emotions… it’s a ride that can have more twists and turns than Everest.

For so many years I’ve wanted to properly tell Adaellah’s story. But something always stopped me.

But now we’re in a really dangerous position with our healthcare; cancer screening has significantly dropped. Despite the heroic efforts of the NHS, the impact of Covid-19 on people’s cancer outcomes and care has and continues to be devastating.

It feels like the Government are especially playing Russian Roulette with the lives of our children.

Not only is there a disgraceful disparity in funding and research for childhood cancer, but it’s extremely well known that it is notoriously difficult to diagnose early stage cancer in children; they just can’t articulate specifics of their pain clearly.

We’ve lost most face-to-face appointments with our GP’s who have a crucial role in spotting the signs and symptoms of childhood cancers. Cancer is a b***h because it mimics common childhood viral infections – fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting, weight loss – these are all things most parents will experience with their children in the first few years of life, but how do we know when to really be concerned?

I’ve shared our story in the hope that I raise more awareness of how common childhood cancer is and also to help as many parents as possible to know what to look out for and when to act.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line or comment. I’ve also listed some useful resources below:

Websites

Reports

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