I don't think I will ever forget the day my mum sat me down and told me she had cancer. It was a Wednesday morning in 2007 and I was wearing a blue top, its strange I remember the little things.
When my mum went to the hospital in the morning we all thought there might be something wrong, although the C word never entered my head. Sitting down at the dining room table, my mum broke the news to me and my sister- she had bowel cancer. My beautiful young mum had a disease that was associated with old people. The only emotion I remember is feeling is numb- I don't think I sunk in yet the sick feeling in my stomach didn't leave me until my mum came home from the hospital. The good news was that the cancer was in its early stages and was treatable.
The next few weeks were a blur of a final holiday to Greece (my mum decided not to cancel our holiday to take our mind off it) and preparing my mum for her first trip to hospital. Having mum away from home and not being able to look after her was the worst few days of my life. Mum made us all carry on life as usual but the three us of us were walking round in a trance like state, the only thing going through our minds were getting to hopsital as soon as we could each day.
Thankfully the operation was a success and my mum came home about a week and a half later, it was difficult to watch your previously energetic and fun mum laid in bed unrecognisable. The disease meant she lost close to three stone and the radiotherapy turned her curly hair straight. All these years of straightening her hair, be careful what you wish for!
