Loss of my dad

Hello Sarah!

I am just over the one year mark from losing my husband to bowel cancer. He fought it for two years. He went into remission in 2022 when he was told they had got all the tumour out but cruelly it came back only months later and he had to endure more chemotherapy which made him very ill and in turn damaged his kidneys and needed to be withdrawn completely. He was in and out of hospital constantly in his final months he took 4 bouts of sepsis and it was on his 4th bout along with the advancing cancer which took him on 23rd June 2023. Just two months after he passed my older sister also got a bowel cancer diagnosis through doing a home bowel screening test. Her's was caught very early though and it was a case that they could take her in and cut out her tumour which was very small and did not have the need for post chemo or radiotherapy. She was very anaemic though and needs a few units of blood before they could operate on her but she is making progress with her recovery now and in April this year my son's future wife lost her mother to cancer too so it has been quite a 14 months for me. I just hope now that cancer will `do one` and leave us alone think it has had its quota from this family. My sister is currently waiting on follow-up tests/scans so fingers crossed everything will ok there. She has learning difficulties also and I am down as her carer but she lives independently in sheltered accomodation which is within walking distance from me. She can function independently to an extent and needs me for other things. Things in authority like banking, bills etc things like that. That's good you are getting some kind of counselling. Did you know that MacMillan can put you forward for it too? They can arrange so many phone counselling sessions with Marie Curie. I had these beginning in January this year and it was just good to have someone check in on you each week just to make sure you're ok and just to chat and you have the community here which is a good place to come as we all `get it` and you can vent, scream, let off steam here whenever you feel you need to. There will always be someone who can relate to what you are going through. My best wishes to you moving forward. Take Care. 

Vicky x