It’s this time of year that I get a bit reminiscent about wtf actually happened back in 2017 and thank my lucky stars to be here and to be healthy today. It’s purely coincidental that it happens to be “Cancer in Pregnancy Awareness Week” just a few days before my own anniversary, but that made me realise that I should do something positive this year.

You don’t expect to get cancer. And you really don’t expect it when you’re planning on welcoming a new member to the family. It’s a confusing time when your focus should be on the new baby but actually you’re just desperately trying to stay alive. There is a lot of help out there if you have cancer. There is a lot of help out there if you are pregnant.  But I only found one place to turn to where they truly understood the conflicting place in which I found myself and I am still am so very grateful for Mummy’s Star. They are the only charity in the UK and Ireland dedicated to supporting women and their families where the mother is diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or within 12 months after giving birth.

Their online forum was and still is invaluable, though at times a difficult place to be. So many women going through or having been through unimaginable times, experiencing all different cancers at different  stages of pregnancy / motherhood. I feel lucky that I caught it so early, I feel lucky that I didn’t need chemo whilst I was pregnant (I didn’t even know that was a thing!), I feel lucky that I was never asked to choose between my baby or fighting the cancer, I feel lucky that I had family support, I feel lucky that I had amazing friends, I feel lucky that I had one of the most common (and therefore well researched) types of cancer and this year I feel beyond lucky that I am not going through treatment right now with the added risk of Covid-19 meaning that some women have been told to shield away from their own children.  

And so I’d like to support Mummy’s Star this week, who support women going through all those situations. I was meant to be running the GRC’s Summer Solstice 10k on Friday 19^th, but inevitably that had to be cancelled. Therefore I will endeavour to run my own 10k at the weekend. This isn’t an easy challenge for me as every time I try to run further than 5k, I am plagued with various injuries. To help spur me along, if you can donate even just £1 I would be so grateful, and so would the wonderful people at Mummy’s Star.

Thank you so much my lovely friends and family

Mummy's Star is the only charity in the UK and Ireland dedicated to supporting pregnancy through cancer and beyond. Your donation means that women diagnosed with any cancer during pregnancy or within a year of a birth are able to reach Mummy's Star and the specialised support they offer. They help families to meet others in a similar position, offer small grants to relieve some financial burden, give support to partners and the wider family, promote awareness and support research. Thank you!