After losing her grandmother to ovarian cancer and seeing her mother overcome the same battle - one young woman has stepped up to help other sufferers.
Stephanie Wilson, 26, of Haltwhistle, saw her grandmother lose her battle with the disease, and when her mum Christine Wilson got her diagnosis, Stephanie was by her side in some of her toughest moments.
Christine said Stephanie was her rock when she had ovarian cancer 10 years ago and helped immensely as she recovered from chemotherapy and other emergency operations.
She said: “She has helped me so much as I have had five operations in six years and another operation two years prior to those. Although I am so thankful that I’m alive.
"I had a stone and a half cist removed from me and had a full hysterectomy, my lymph nodes and my fatty bib taken out of my stomach and the other emergency operations I had for strangulated hernia and stoch reconstruction. I was in intensive care twice and had a pulmonary embolism and was put into an induced coma.”
But Stephanie brought Christine’s family to visit her in the hospital twice a day and stayed with her at her house for three years even though she had little boy herself to take care of.
Christine added: “Even after she moved out she still comes to see me every day. I am so proud of how she has grown up to be a loving, kind and giving young lady and she has two gorgeous boys now. I love her and all my family so very much.”
After watching her grandmother lose her hair while battling cancer, Stephanie has been inspired to do something special in her memory - an also to celebrate her mum's victory.
She is planning to shave her hair off and raise money for 'Ovacome' the ovarian cancer support charity and Cancer Research UK.
Stephanie said: “It means a lot to me doing this as it is in memory of my grandma but also for my family and for everyone else around me who has had cancer and lost their hair.
"My grandma lost her hair going through her chemo treatment when she had Ovarian cancer and she always had lovely brown hair.
"But it is important for all people that have to go through cancer treatment and lose their hair, that you know your hair doesn't define who you are as a person.
"No matter what looks you get, or questions you get asked about it, it is what's on the inside that counts and no one should be judged for losing their hair when they are already going through such a hard time."
So far Stephanie has raised £415 of her £500 target. She will have her hair shaved at The Jubilee in Haltwhistle at 8pm on Friday, October 1.
To sponsor Stephanie go to: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/stephanies-giving-page-451 or https://www.ovacome.org.uk/Fundraisers/head-shave
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