We suffered – now we're HELPING OTHERS

Three women reveal how personal adversity encouraged them to reach out to other people

- GILLIAN HARVEY

‘Having cancer made me more aware of the difference we can all make’

Vicky Saynor is 45 and lives in Hertfordshire. Sitting down beside my husband, Chris, 45, there was nothing I could do to hide my worry.

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked. It was October 2018 and we were at Heathrow Airport, getting ready to take off for our honeymoon in India. Until that moment, I’d been all smiles.

‘I found a lump on my breast,’ I said.

As a treat, we’d booked into the business-class lounge; even the bathrooms were luxurious and covered with mirrors – reflecting every angle. My dress looked great, but then I’d seen something new – a lump below my collarbone that wasn’t there before.

After the holiday, I visited my GP, who referred me urgently to the breast clinic, and in January 2019 I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, stage 1.

Four months of chemotherapy followed, plus a three-week course of radiotherapy. Unable to work at mine and Chris’ luxury rural-retreat business, Bethnal & Bec, and with four children to look after, as well unforeseen expenses such as £40 per week for hospital parking, we began to struggle.

Then I discovered Something To Look Forward To, a small charity that gifts experiences and little luxuries to cancer patients and their families. Through the charity, we enjoyed a meal out plus a sushi-making lesson for the kids, and I even had a professional portrait taken. These things may seem small – but, with money tight, they made all the difference to how we felt.